Usagi is Dead Usagi is Dead Hip Hip Hip Hooray
by Dark Day For Anime
Summary: Original Version (1997-98) When Usagi is betrayed and murdered by her friends, she is brought back to life, in many forms, in a conspiracy by higher forces.
1. Part 1: I Left My Heart in a Tokyo Schoo...

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 1  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
IRC: Mappy on DALnet's #AJAS  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so   
these characters really belong to them. I'm just abusing them in a   
manner most would describe as nothing short of scandalous. I hope   
nobody sues me for it. I really don't have anything close to enough   
money to cover even a millionth of the court costs....  
  
Part One (revised)  
I Left My Heart in a Tokyo Schoolyard  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
It must have been close to three hours after everything had   
gone quiet.... at least 3am, that Usagi's spirit had sat on the   
wall lining the school courtyard within which she died.  
  
Parts of her still remained there. At least, the blood and a   
few small lumps of flesh. The rest of her had long been carried   
away to whatever morgue was her destiny to be taken to.  
  
She stared long and hard at the spot where she had fallen.   
The police hadn't even bothered to outline her body, so damaged was   
it. Blood, bone and organs had been scattered across a fifteen foot   
radius behind her. She shuddered at the memory.  
  
After what had been a brutal day at the hands of her teachers,   
Usagi met up with Makoto, Ami and Naru, and after a few minutes   
chatting, they began their way home. For some reason, Naru seemed a   
little nervous, but always seemed to fob it off somehow.  
  
Then they arrived at the site of her death. She was chuckling   
over something that Makoto had been saying, something to do with Rei   
and Yuuichiro, when Naru let out a cry. She turned to Naru to ask   
what was wrong, and then was hit. By something that hurt. Lots.  
  
Fortunately, it didn't hurt for long. She felt herself flying   
backwards, somehow missing Ami, who had been standing behind her.   
Usagi landed on her feet and looked up to see what was happening.   
Blood showered in her direction from somebody in front of her, and   
she screwed her eyes shut, putting her hands over her head,   
expecting to get splattered. The blood landed all around her, but   
somehow failed to hit her. When it stopped, she looked up.  
  
Makoto, who had been standing to her left, was now against the   
wall Usagi would later be sitting on. Her face was a mark of shock   
and horror, unable to move. Usagi turned to the other side to see   
Naru, lying face-forward on the ground, moving slowly.  
  
"Naru-chan...." Usagi cried out as Naru slowly lifted herself   
up, aided by another student Usagi recognised as Koto-san.  
"Naru-chan, are you okay?" Usagi turned further to her right   
and saw Ami getting to her feet. Ami trotted across to where Naru   
was sitting, apparently staring in shock. Usagi looked around her   
as she stood up. Several other students had arrived on the scene.   
There were cries of horror, whimpering, and one even brought his   
lunch up. Usagi stepped over to where Naru was being consoled by an   
equally upset Ami.  
  
"Jeez, guys, what happened just now?" Usagi leaned down to   
them. For some reason they seemed to be ignoring her. Naru   
continued to whimper and stare off ahead. Usagi sighed and turned   
back to where Makoto was leaning against the wall, being held by a   
couple of girls. Between Usagi and Makoto lay a body. Usagi's   
body.  
  
Or what remained of it.  
  
It was amazing the top had remained attached to the bottom of   
the body, there was so little left of the trunk. Naturally, Usagi   
went into a kind of denial. She shook her head for a few moments,   
then turned to Ami and Naru.  
  
"That can't be me, can it?" They didn't reply. "C'mon, say   
something...." Still no reply. "You can hear me, can't you?"   
Silence. "Well CAN'T YOU???" Usagi made to grab Ami's shoulder,   
and fell straight through her. At that moment, she felt a huge pull   
on her body, dragging her away from the scene. She turned as she   
flew through the air, staring at the rapidly growing crowd.   
  
It disappeared as she passed through a neighbouring building.  
  
She wasn't travelling very fast. Before she reached her   
destination, she could hear the sirens of police and ambulances.   
She was in too much of a state to be able to take notice of what was   
going on around her.  
  
Dazedly, she turned, and spotted her destination. The Hikawa   
shrine. This confused her even more. If she was dead... the fact   
seemed to be seeping into her mind... why should her spirit be drawn   
here? Because of its religious nature? Because of Rei-chan's   
connection to her. Before she knew what was happening, she was in   
the fire room. And there she stopped.  
  
Rei was chanting in front of the flame. Usagi wondered how   
she got home from school so quickly to be here now. She put it out   
of her mind as a vision appeared within the flame. Rei stopped   
chanting and stared, Usagi following her lead. It showed the death   
scene.  
  
Usagi was surprised when Rei quickly got to her feet and   
turned, walking through her. For a moment, Rei seemed to shiver and   
looked around, as if she had felt Usagi's presence.  
  
Usagi tried to latch onto her arm, hoping that this momentary   
recognition would work in her favour. But Rei shrugged it off and   
quickly stepped out. It only occurred to Usagi later that Rei's   
expression was not that of someone who had just witnessed the death   
of a friend.  
  
Usagi sat in the fire room for hours, hoping that Rei would   
return, but she didn't. An intense desire to return to the scene   
filled her, even though she didn't want to see her body again. The   
sight was far too horrible, but some morbid fascination swept   
through her, and once more she found herself flying through the air,   
back towards the school.  
  
When she got there, the crowd had been moved away from the   
scene. The area was cordoned off, and her body had been taken away.   
There was no sign of Ami, Makoto or Naru, not that she expected   
there to be. It was more than likely that, if they weren't being   
questioned by the police themselves, they'd all gone into shock and   
needed hospitalisation. Usagi just hovered over the scene as   
several investigators scowered everything around it. Eventually   
they all returned to their commanding officer, a woman they referred   
to as Captain Kikotsuka, and shrugged. Their amazing   
professionalism in their efforts to find clues to her death   
astounded Usagi.  
  
Very little.  
  
Eventually, it went dark and the crowd that surrounded the   
scene began to disperse. Even the few media OB vans that had   
arrived were leaving. Obviously, with very little to say other   
than a young girl had exploded, their interest in the story   
rapidly waned. Then even the main body of the investigating team   
began to depart, leaving only a couple of officers to watch over the   
scene, making a few last attempts at uncovering clues. Then even   
they were gone. The scene was empty. It was midnight.  
  
Three hours later, Usagi sat on top of the wall, staring at   
where she died. "Death", she thought, "Its not quite as I expected   
it to be." She wondered at all the things she would no longer be   
able to do. Eat. That was the first thing that entered her   
thoughts. What a horrible concept. No need for food. She mourned   
the loss of that small but intense pleasure.  
  
Nobody to talk to, either. None of her friends were dead,   
yet. Not that she had expected any of them to die. After all,   
wasn't she destined to be Neo Queen Serenity? Seems destiny had a   
few cruel tricks up its sleeve today.  
  
Her family.... What must they be going through, now. For a   
few moments, she felt a desire to travel to her house, to see them   
in their grief. But she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to   
witness that, just yet.  
  
And Mamo-chan....  
  
She wanted to break out into tears. The thought of never   
being able to hold or kiss Mamoru again went through her like an icy   
spark. But no tears would come. A spirit was, obviously, not   
allowed to cry, either.  
  
Slowly she lifted herself from the wall and floated   
approximately twenty feet from the ground. She stared up into the   
sky, holding out her fist.  
  
"Well, Kami-sama, I'm here. I'm dead now. Do with me   
whatever you will...." She shook her fist up at the sky, almost   
defiantly. She was surprised when she heard a chuckle. Not from   
the sky, but from the ground below. She turned. A familiar figure   
stood there. Short blond hair.... Piercing, intelligent eyes. He,   
however, was not dressed in the Youma General's uniform that Usagi   
expected. Nor was his expression as hard and embittered as she   
remembered it to be.  
  
"Jadeite!" Usagi exclaimed. For some reason, the arrival of   
the General seemed to make things fall into place.  
  
"Hello, Sailormoon. Or should I say Tsukino Usagi. It   
doesn't look like you're in the best of health right now."  
"Jadeite! You! You're the one who did this to me!"  
Jadeite raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Did what?" He   
thought for a few seconds. "Oh... You mean KILLED you? No, sorry,   
I'm afraid I'm innocent on that count. I was just passing by when I   
saw you floating into the sky. I didn't think the reincarnation of   
the Moon Princess could fly, so it was a tad unexpected."  
  
Usagi's expression of rage began to subside. "I can't believe   
that. You spent so much of your time and effort trying to kill me   
in the past. Why not now. By the way, I thought Beryl disposed of   
you?"  
  
Jadeite shrugged. "I was sealed away in a crystal. As soon   
as you destroyed her, I was set free. But without her and the Youma   
horde, I was a man alone. So what's the point of fighting any   
further? I work at a recording studio now." Jadeite grinned   
smugly. "A nice, harmless job, making music and corrupting youth."   
He chuckled for a few moments as Usagi descended to the ground.  
  
"You mean.... you really didn't do this to me?"  
"Course I didn't. As I told you, there's no point now." He   
shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I was passing nearby and felt a   
spiritual wave coming from this school. I knew this to be the   
school you attended, so curiosity got the better of me."  
  
They stared at each other for several moments, the former   
enemies, still not willing to trust each other. Jadeite tried his   
best to smile reassuringly. "Believe me, I'm not here to hurt you.   
I think you're a little beyond that now."  
"Wh... What am I going to do?" Usagi looked pleadingly at   
him. He bit his lower lip.  
"Damned if I know right now. I've never had to deal with a   
dead person before."  
Something occurred to Usagi. "You... You can see me..."  
"Of course."  
"But nobody else can."  
"Hmm?"  
"I've been all across town, even around other senshi, and not   
one of them even vaguely registered my presence. And yet you can   
see me, as clear as day."  
  
Jadeite shrugged. "Don't ask me why. Maybe I'm simply   
attuned to your spiritual wavelength." He sniffed. "So, what are   
you going to do? Trust me or not?"  
  
Usagi stared at him for several moments, then turned away. "I   
can't trust you, Jadeite. Not after what happened before. I'm not   
sure if you're responsible for what has happened to me now, or what.   
All I know is, somebody or something killed me, and then you appear,   
the only person capable of seeing and hearing me. I find that more   
than suspicious."  
"Think what you like. I have nothing to do with your demise."  
  
Usagi floated into the air, looking back at Jadeite. "I'm   
going to the shrine. If I do find you have had something to do with   
my death, I will, somehow, warn the senshi about you. You will not   
get away with this." She floated away, disappearing behind some   
buildings. Jadeite shook his head.  
"My dear, I think you're in for a nasty little surprise."  
  
  
It took a matter of minutes to reach the shrine. Faster, this   
time. Usagi seemed to have started to get the hang of this floating   
business. She arrived at the gates to the shrine and stopped there.   
There were voices coming from within. Slowly, she landed. It was   
the sound of her friends, and they weren't sounding too much like   
they were in mourning. Usagi tried the old method of walking, now.   
There wasn't any sound to each step, even though she made an attempt   
to creep. Slowly, she made her way to the door of Rei's room.   
There was a light coming from the room, and the sound of (somewhat   
subdued) partying.  
  
"KANPAI!" The sound of glasses clinging together to the half-  
hearted cheers. Usagi peered into the room.  
  
They were all there. Rei, Ami, Makoto, Minako, Mamoru,   
Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, Hotaru, Luna, Artemis.... even Chibiusa   
and Naru. They were all taking a swig of beer. Usagi wondered if   
half of them were legally old enough to do so. She also wondered   
why they should be partying after her recent and premature demise.   
Rei turned to Naru.  
  
"So, Naru-chan, how does it feel to be the new candidate for   
the position of Moon Princess?"  
"Jeez. I feel a little... I dunno...."  
"What, guilty?" Haruka laughed nervously. Michiru nudged her   
in the ribs and Haruka grimaced. "Why would you feel guilty? Its   
always been this way in the Moon Kingdom, so Setsuna has told us."  
Naru sniffed. "I know. I just feel a little sorry for Usagi,   
thats all." She shook her head. "I'd known her for so long, and   
the expression on her face..."  
"Aww, come on!" Makoto shouted, looking a little drunk. "She   
was a loser and you know it. She had neither the personality nor   
the will to take up the position." Makoto sculled her glass and   
held it out for more. Most of the others looked at her. She seemed   
to be trying a little too hard to enjoy herself.  
  
Setsuna, who had been staring off into space, decided it   
was time to lecture.... "It has always been the way that if one   
candidate for the position of Moon Princess proves to be less than   
satisfactory, then she is removed from the right of succession and   
another is put in her place." She paused for a moment, taking a   
momentary sip and wrinkling up her nose at the taste. "This is   
destiny. You only have to look at Chibiusa to see that." She   
sniffed and frowned. Hmm... Chibiusa, she thought. Strange that   
she should retain the name.... Most of the name, anyway.  
  
Usagi's head was reeling. Candidate? Right of Succession?   
She turned her head towards Chibiusa and clutched onto the   
doorframe. Chibiusa.... No longer looked quite like her. In fact,   
she looked like.... Looked like.... Na... na... na....  
  
Usagi stepped back, but brought the door off its sliding   
hinges. It clattered to the ground, making everyone turn. They   
were all looking at her! Usagi stood there, shivering with   
disbelief and rage.  
  
"You.... All of you.... How could you....?"  
  
"Wh... What was that?" asked Minako.  
"The door fell off its hinges." Haruka, who was the closest   
to the door, stood and stepped over to the doorway. She picked up   
the door and placed it back in its position. She scratched her head   
for a moment and turned. "Well, what did you think it was? Usagi   
come back to haunt us?" They all laughed at this, sweatdrops   
forming on their foreheads, then started munching out on the cake   
and snacks that were sitting in the middle of the table, chatting   
away to each other quietly. Setsuna returned to her space-gazing,   
whilst Hotaru placed the glass of beer she'd been given, virtually   
untouched, and sat quietly, watching everyone else with a somewhat   
strange expression. Michiru held on to Haruka's arm when the other   
girl sat back down and began whispering to her. Haruka seemed   
somewhat disturbed by what she had to say. They both looked over at   
Hotaru for a few moments, then turned aside and began to talk more   
privately.  
  
Usagi was completely gone, now. She couldn't take any more of   
this. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!!!! I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY   
FRIENDS!!!!"  
"Try the coffee cake. Its nice." Makoto handed a slice on a   
plate to Mamoru, who took it with a strange smile.  
"HOW CAN YOU ALL BE THIS WAY? WHAT WAS I TO YOU ALL?"  
Rei turned on the television. "What do you wanna watch?"  
"Are there any early-morning animes on?" Minako said,   
stuffing chips in her face.  
"Nah, we've missed Hyper Police and Haunted Junction. I think   
Maze is over, too."  
"Mi... Minna..." Usagi croaked.  
"Aren't there reruns of Hana Yori Dango on now?" Makoto   
wondered. Rei screwed up her face.  
"Eeew, I'd rather watch reruns of Dragonball...."  
"each to their own, Rei-chan, each to their own."  
"C... Can't any of you hear me?" Usagi whispered.  
Rei switched the stations. Finally one playing an anime came   
on. There was a small cheer from some of the group. "Aha. Reruns   
of Nadesico. Thought there was something." Rei said triumphantly.  
"ANSWER ME! ONE OF YOU! ANY OF YOU!" Usagi screamed. There   
was no answer from any of them, although Rei turned to the doorway,   
blinking for a few moments. Mamoru looked at her unemotionally, his   
questioning tone almost sing-song.  
"What is it, Rei-chan?"  
"Oh nothing, just thought I heard someone approaching."  
"Its a good thing your Grandfather and Yuuichiro are away,   
Rei-chan. This could've looked rather suspicious, otherwise."   
Michiru commented, turning back to the group.  
"Heh... Yeah well. It took three months to plan this. We   
had plenty of leeway."  
  
Usagi decided she didn't want to hear anymore. Letting out a   
cry, she ran from the temple, eventually taking to flight. She   
continued on and on and on, through the city, until she reached the   
countryside. Then she went further, until there were mountains.   
And then running away just seemed stupid, and she sat for several   
moments on one of the mountain ledges, wondering what to do next.  
  
Jadeite, she thought. I must see Jadeite. It was the only   
person she could think of. Surely, now that her death was proven   
not to have been of his doing, she could trust him.  
  
She felt a little resistance to the idea. But eventually, she   
found herself flying, latching onto Jadeite's spiritual signal.  
  
END OF PART ONE  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Notes  
  
Here is the revised first chapter of "Usagi is Dead". I'd only  
actually looked back on this chapter for the first time since I'd  
written it when I'd completed chapter 5, and realised that there  
was quite a lot about it that wasn't sitting with the rest of the  
story. First and foremost, I'd revised the party scene to make  
the senshi rather less than jubilant about what they'd done to  
Usagi. Secondly, I've changed a couple of the characterisations  
within the party scene so the ideas I'd come up with for later  
chapters aren't so much a case of Deux ex Machina. (God From a  
Machine. I love that phrase, think I'll use it as the title for  
a future chapter.... Fits in well with the sudden new ideas I  
keep coming up for this story and the fact that Usagi is reborn  
from the... Ah, but if you're reading this for the first time,  
I better not tell you).  
  
Anyways, this story has already evolved quite a long way from the  
simple "Usagi hatchets the Sailors" tale it began its life as. If  
you are reading this for the first time, this thing is turning into  
a roller coaster of bizarre proportions.... Hope you enjoy the  
ride. ^_^  
  
Any comments, criticism and outright abuse should go to   
darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
I may respond to the comments and criticisms, but the abuse....   
Well, it may make good material for future projects.....  
  
"Don't you talk to me you disgusting heap of Parrot droppings!  
You're kind really make me puke! You vacuous, toffee-nosed,   
maloderous pervert!"  
  
"I only came here for an argument."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, but this is abuse."  
  
^_^  
  
DDFA 


	2. Part 2: There is Something About the Way...

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 2  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
IRC: Mappy on DALnet's #AJAS  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so   
these characters really belong to them. I'm just abusing them in a   
manner most would describe as nothing short of scandalous. I hope   
nobody sues me for it. I have better things to do with my money.  
  
Part Two  
There Is Something About The Way You Float....  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
"Usagi, if you don't study hard, you'll never graduate, and if   
you don't graduate, how do you expect to become Serenity?"  
"Shutup, Luna!"  
  
"You know its your fault that you don't arrive at these   
meetings on time."  
"Shutup, Rei!"  
  
"You know, if you keep eating the way you do, you'll end up   
looking like those dumplings you so adore."  
"Aww, Mamo-chan.... You're picking on me...."  
  
"USAGI!!!! HOW COULD YOU COME BACK TO THE HOUSE WITH TEST   
RESULTS LIKE THIS!?!?!?!"  
"Awwwww.... But Moooooom...."  
  
"You know, there really are times when you are totally useless   
in a fight. Try learning some combat skills."  
"But that's not my job, Haruka....."  
  
"Why in hell did you sleep in so late. You knew we had to   
meet in town at nine o'clock."  
"Sorry, Mina-chan...."  
  
"Have you ever considered a thesis on professional   
ineptitude?"  
"What did you say, Setsuna?"  
"We really need to do something about you. At this rate,   
you'll never become Serenity."  
"Huh! Well its my destiny. There's nothing you can do to   
change that."  
"Destinies can be altered. Its a fundamental aspect of my   
existence to understand this truth."  
"Have you ever considered psychotherapy?"  
"Yes. Several times, in fact. Unfortunately, I already know   
what the outcome will be, so there really isn't much point....."  
"Well, if you know the outcome to everything, why question my   
abilities to become Serenity? Eh? Tell me that!"  
  
Oh, if only you knew....  
  
----o  
  
Setsuna walked down the darkened street with a darkened mind.   
She held out her left hand. The hand from which she cast a beam of   
energy that ended the life of Tsukino Usagi. The first candidate   
for the (currently open) position of the Moon Princess/Neo Queen   
Serenity.  
  
The first candidate. The one who inherited the most direct   
soul-line. And she killed her.  
  
There were times, she thought, that she really hated her job   
as the Guardian of Time. As that time had passed within this era,   
the visions of Usagi as Serenity had slowly faded from her view.   
Not that such a future should have been possible. She'd already   
seen Usagi, having taken the mantle of Serenity, sitting upon the   
throne. And yet, those memories became nothing more than visions.   
It was an ominous sign to her that things were about to change.   
Very fundamental things. She shivered....  
  
She'd talked about this with the other Outer Senshi some six   
months ago. She didn't know if they really understood, but they   
seemed to come to some consensus that Usagi was not panning out to   
be a very good candidate at all, despite her good heart. Setsuna   
had managed to keep from everyone their memory of the Rights of   
Succession, the rules that stipulated that the core circle of senshi   
could veto a candidate if she did not live up to expectations. No   
longer. Within days of first discussing this, she brought the other   
senshi together, both inner and outer, and told them the full truth.  
  
Of course, at that time, there was no intention of actually   
killing off Usagi. Such a concept would have been anathema to them   
all. But then Setsuna started receiving further visions.... Of   
what Usagi would do if they tried to force her to give up the   
position willingly.....  
  
It was not pleasant. Usagi, having been imbued with the power   
of Serenity, could do with them virtually whatever she liked.  
  
When Setsuna told them about this, they didn't believe her.   
Surely Usagi would be more understanding than that? So Setsuna   
forced them all to see what it was she was seeing. The effect upon   
the other senshi was stunning. Their horror at the method of their   
deaths sent them mad for several days afterwards. Only Hotaru   
seemed willing to speak with her. But of all of them, Hotaru was   
the most accustomed to the concept of death. None of them, however,   
believed that Usagi would do THAT to them just because they wanted   
her to give up becoming Serenity....  
  
Several days later, after much soul searching, it was   
reluctantly agreed. Usagi must die.  
  
Setsuna rubbed a hand over her mouth. Perhaps letting them   
see her visions was a bit much. They were nothing more than   
potential futures, and there were an infinite number of   
possibilities when one is dealing with time. But she was more than   
capable of dealing with all the various possibilities. She had been   
doing it for night on an eternity, or perhaps a little longer. The   
others.... It was something they had never had to experience   
before, and it concerned her how much these visions were imbued into   
their collective psyche as if they were an existent memory....  
  
There was a slight breeze, and Setsuna felt the chill of   
eternity. It was not the first time she had killed a candidate.   
Each and every time, she hoped it would be the last.  
  
  
High above her, a spirit flew by.  
  
----o  
  
Jadeite sat in the loungeroom of his apartment, slunk deep   
within a black vinyl chair, listening to the stereo. He didn't   
recognise the music being played. His lights were off, so all he   
could see was illuminated by streetlights shining through the   
window. It was a good thing it was his day off. He hated to think   
he'd stayed up all this time waiting for a ghost for nothing and   
still work the next day.  
  
He stared out of the window. He had known what was going to   
happen to Usagi and had done nothing about it. He should have felt   
no pang of guilt, after all, he used to be her enemy, and a   
particularly bitter one at that. Its just.... Since the death of   
Queen Beryl, more of the old Jadeite, the Knight of the Silver   
Millenium, had taken over.  
  
He could never bring himself to attempt to return to that   
inner circle, after what had gone between them. It was especially   
hard when he remembered Mars.... Now it seemed she had taken up   
some of the bitterness and nastiness that had eaten away at him when   
Beryl infected him with the power of Metallia. He placed a hand to   
his face and sighed. Destiny was a cruel master, indeed.  
  
He turned away from the window, and saw a figure, partly   
illuminated, standing on the opposite side of the room. It gave him   
a start. Where the figure was not illuminated, he could see the   
wall behind.... A better example of a ghostly figure he could not   
have found.  
  
"You're back." He said, rather unnecessarily. The figure   
said nothing. "I expected as much." He continued. Still the   
figure did not speak. He sighed and turned back to the window.  
  
"Did you know?" The words were soft, almost inaudible.   
Jadeite didn't turn to look at her.  
"I suspected..... something was going on. I have been keeping   
track of you and your former friends."  
  
There were a few more moments of uneasy silence. Jadeite   
finally looked back at the figure, who was now sitting against the   
wall, face between knees. "You did nothing to help me." She said.   
Jadeite shrugged.  
"What could I have done?"  
"Nothing, I suppose."  
"To have attempted to intervene would surely have invited my   
own death. I am, after all, considered an enemy."  
"You could have tried to warn me.... About what was going to   
happen...."  
"Would you have listened to me?"  
"No. No, I suppose I wouldn't have."  
"Indeed."  
  
Usagi began to sob. It was chilling to listen to. Jadeite   
had once heard such sobbing before, within the halls of the Moon   
Kingdom's palace. The tears of the dead were the most frightening   
sound he had ever experienced.  
  
"Don't start crying, now."  
"What else am I supposed to do? Everyone I trusted...   
Believed in... LOVED... Has turned against me. More than that,   
they had me killed. KILLED! Why? What was I to them all?"  
"Merely a candidate for the position. You didn't know about   
the Rights of Succession, didn't you?"  
  
Usagi looked up at Jadeite. "What? Rules of what?"  
"The Rules of Succession."  
Usagi shook her head. "I can't.... remember such a thing   
ever having popped into any of my conversations with the others."  
  
Jadeite sighed. "The Rules of Succession are there to protect   
the so-called dignity of the position of being Queen. It stipulates   
that you must be of at least average intellect, physical stamina,   
health and social skills to at least have a look-in at being the   
Queen. If not, then the inner circle of the senshi may veto your   
ascent to the throne." Jadeite bit his lower lip, pausing for   
effect as Usagi began to take this in. He continued. "It has not   
been unknown for candidates who are failing to meet these criteria   
to refuse to give up their position. Many have felt.... robbed of   
the opportunity, even if they were the direct descendant of the   
previous crown. At those times, it has not been unknown for the   
candidates to be.... dispensed with, so to speak."  
"Killed, you mean."  
"Indeed."  
  
Usagi spent several moments chewing this over. She then   
turned to the stereo, which was still playing softly. "Thats   
beginning to annoy me, switch it off."  
Jadeite sighed and got up from his seat, stepping over to the   
small sound system and switching it off. He turned around to face   
Usagi, only to find her standing beside him. He almost jumped with   
fright.  
"Don't do that."  
"What?"  
"Creep up on me. You know you don't make any sound when you   
move around."  
"Why is that?"  
"As a mere spirit, you don't have any physical substance. You   
can't touch anything, so therefore you don't make any noise."  
  
Usagi frowned. "I can't touch anything?"  
"Indeed."  
"So how am I able to walk across the floor? How was I able to   
pull the door to Rei's room from its hinges?"  
"Eh?" Jadeite looked puzzled.  
"When I was at the shrine.... when I was listening to   
them.... I grabbed hold of the door, and wrenched it off its hinges   
by accident."  
"Well, that's not possible." Jadeite thought for a few   
moments. "You're sure it wasn't your imagination.... That the door   
wasn't about to come off its hinges anyway?"  
"No! I'd grabbed hold of the door and pulled back. The door   
came with me."  
  
Jadeite scratched his nose, then reached forward, placing a   
finger firmly on Usagi's shoulder. Her form radiated waves from the   
touch. Usagi stared at the waves, a little scared.  
"What the hell is that?"  
"Something I just suspected."  
"Eh?" Usagi watched Jadeite as he took his hand away and   
stepped back into the middle of the room, crossing his hands behind   
his back.  
"It would seem, Tsukino Usagi, that you're not entirely dead   
yet."  
Usagi stared at him as if her were mad. "What the hell are   
you talking about? Half my body has been spread across the school   
courtyard, the rest dragged away to the local morgue. I must say,   
thats a pretty good sign that you're dead."  
"But your soul hasn't accepted the fact, as yet."  
Usagi swallowed. "And that means....?"  
"That you're not completely dead yet, which is why I can see   
you. With the powers given to me by Queen Beryl, I had the capacity   
to see that which existed in the half-state. It didn't happen very   
often, because there weren't enough beings around who had sufficient   
energy within them to retain a sense of physical existence without   
them having a body." Jadeite turned to Usagi. "You can thank the   
powers of Serenity for that. Despite being physically killed, your   
spirit was protected by those powers. Powers you still have."  
  
Usagi shrugged. "What good are they to me now? I can't use   
them."  
"But you could if you were to find another body."  
"Another body?" Usagi croaked. "How in all the realms could   
I even hope to find myself another body?"  
Jadeite smiled, holding out his hand. "I know of a way.   
Follow me." Usagi stared at the hand suspiciously for a few   
moments, then took it. The physical sensation of being able to   
touch the hand was incredible, like the sensation one got of   
touching something with a numb extremity. Within moments, Usagi   
found herself floating through an ether, following Jadeite to   
whatever destination he had planned.  
  
----o  
  
Ami tossed and turned. It was not a peaceful dream she was   
having. Usagi's hands around her throat, slowly throttling the life   
out of her. Then, feeling the sensation of Usagi's power flowing   
into her. Her chest heaved, then exploded with a fury of blood and   
flesh. She tried to breath, but her lungs were no more. Usagi   
dropped her like a rag doll, and she pitched forward onto her face.   
Unable to breathe, unable to move, conciousness began to fade with   
the pain and then....  
  
She sat up with a short cry. Everything was dark but she knew   
she'd woken Minako. She hadn't chosen to sleep over at Rei's, but   
her mother thought it best to allow her to mourn the death of a good   
"friend" with others that she knew. Minako sat up, rubbing her eyes   
and rubbing drool from the side of her mouth. She, clearly, was not   
all that unhappy about being woken. For several moments, Ami   
clutched her chest. It was there, thank Kami-sama, it wasn't   
sprayed all over Usagi, it was still in one piece....  
  
"Bad dreams?" Minako asked, quietly. Ami turned to the   
voice. Her eyes had grown accustomed to the dark, and she could see   
Minako staring at her. She nodded. Minako sniffed. "Yeah, me   
too."  
"I dreamt... I had a dream of the vision...."  
"Of Usagi killing you?"  
Ami simply nodded. Minako scratched her head. "Yeah, so did   
I. Guess we'll never be totally rid of her. She'll haunt us to the   
ends of time."  
Ami shivered. "Don't say things like that. I feel bad enough   
about it already."  
"We all agreed to do it, remember?"  
"You weren't there to see it happen."  
Minako nodded. "True, but we still agreed on this matter."  
"I'm still trying to figure out why we agreed. It just seems   
strange to me that we should suddenly want to kill her, after all   
that has happened...."  
"Yeah..." Said Minako. "I've wondered about that a couple of   
times." Minako lay back down again on her futon. "I guess we all   
knew those visions Setsuna gave us to be true. That that was what   
was going to happen...."  
"I guess you're right...." Ami said quietly. Slowly, she   
stood and walked over to the door.  
"Where are you going, Ami-chan?" Minako watched her. Ami   
slowly slid the door open.  
"I'm going to get some fresh air."  
"Don't wake up the others." Minako warned her. Ami nodded   
aside and stepped out, quietly sliding the door shut behind her.   
Ami stared into the darkness. The sun would be up soon, it was   
already about 5.30am.... She stared up into the sky. A crescent   
moon was visible. What a joke, she thought, almost as if it were   
mocking her. She sat for several moments, breathing mist into the   
air, on the edge of the steps to Rei's room.  
  
Then she stood up and stepped back into the room, the cold   
driving her back to the warmth. As the door slid shut behind her,   
four figures which had been standing on the shrine wall in the   
darkness turned grimly to each other.  
  
"Should we interfere in this matter?" Said the slightly   
arrogant one. Another shook its head, and replied in a soft and   
gentle voice.  
"Not yet. Not now, anyway."  
"We KNOW what is going to happen. Why shouldn't we   
interfere." Said a third in a slightly whiney, immature tone. The   
soft-voiced one put up a hand to calm her.  
"They are more powerful than we are. Now. Later may be   
another story. The best we can do is watch and wait our   
opportunity." The other three reluctantly nodded, and the leapt   
from the wall, disappearing into the night.  
  
  
Jadeite and Usagi arrived at their destination. Despite the   
decay and destruction that had been ravaged against the building,   
Usagi clearly recognised it as the fortress of Queen Beryl.  
  
She could not detect the presence of evil that once existed   
here. With its master gone, the fortress became just another ruin,   
its cold, dark walls mirroring the cold air within. Only Jadeite   
seemed bothered by the cold, though, for Usagi felt nothing.  
  
"So, Beryl's old Palace Fortress." Usagi wondered aloud.   
"Been a while since I was last here."  
"Same here." Jadeite said as he guided her through one   
antechamber into another. Before long, they had made their way to a   
large set of wooden doors. Usagi could feel a gentle aura eminating   
from behind the doors as Jadeite unlocked them and pulled back with   
all his weight to open them. Usagi shrugged as Jadeite slowly   
inched the doorway open, and slipped through the doors unhindered by   
such things as solid matter.  
  
She found herself in a small antechamber, at the centre of   
which was a cylinder of glowing green fluid. Pipes and cables ran   
from the cylinder to a platform nearby. Usagi wondered at the   
purpose of such equipment. She was answered as Jadeite, panting   
with the exertion it took to open the door, stepped into the   
chamber.  
  
"The Youma Clonery." Jadeite said triumphantly. Usagi turned   
to him.  
"What was that?"  
"This was where most of the Youma we sent to attack you were   
spawned. A body generation plant."  
  
Usagi bit her lip and pointed to the equipment. "Umm....   
Does this mean you intend to give me a new body by using this   
stuff...?"  
Jadeite nodded. "Of course. It shouldn't effect you   
negatively, since the powers that generated the Youmas' souls is   
well and truly gone now."  
  
Usagi looked dubious. "I don't like this idea very much."  
"Why not?" Jadeite looked indignant. "Wouldn't you like to   
have a new body?"  
"Well.... yes.... But..."  
"Then why are you so reluctant?" Jadeite sniffed and stepped   
over to what looked like a bank of controls. Usagi watched him as   
he began to run his hands across the button and controls like some   
demented pianist, a smile coming to his face. In the background,   
she could hear a noise, not unlike a generator powering up to full   
operational speed. "Ah yes, its been so long since I've had an   
opportunity to use this baby."  
"A long time?" Usagi stared at him as he looked up and smiled   
at her. "How long is a long time?"  
"Since Queen Beryl had me sealed away."  
"Oohhh..." Usagi didn't entirely understand what Jadeite was   
talking about. She'd only heard, from roundabout sources, of   
Jadeite's fate at the hands of his former Queen.  
"So, uhhh, what do we do?" Usagi glanced at the cylinder   
filled with the green fluid. The fluid was now filled with rising   
bubbles, making it look even more like something out of a mad   
scientist's laboratory.... Jadeite chuckled.  
"You just step over on the platform over there." He pointed   
to the platform that was connected to the machinery. He smiled and   
rubbed his hands together. "Ah, she's working as well as the day I   
built her."  
"You built this?"  
"Yep. Beautiful to behold, is it not?" Usagi could swear   
Jadeite was rubbing the controls with a lustful gleam in his eyes.   
Usagi shrugged and floated over to the platform, where she made an   
attempt to place her feet. The middle of the platform was a circle   
made of some brown-black metal. If she'd had a body, she could have   
felt its coldness. She looked up at Jadeite, who put his hands up   
as a gesture of readiness.  
"Alright now... Don't move from there." Jadeite flicked a   
couple of switches and looked back up at Usagi.  
  
She could feel a tingling sensation running through her   
spirit. It was strange at first, but it slowly became warm and   
soothing. Before she knew what was happening, her form melted into   
the metal disc of the platform. Jadeite nodded and looked down at   
the controls, flicking a few more switches.  
  
Within the cylinder, a body began to form, like building   
blocks slowly being assembled, they formed the trunk of the body,   
moving up to the shoulders, head and arms, and down to the legs.   
Slowly, a physical approximation of Usagi began to form, her hair,   
loose and unstyled, beginning to float freely within the fluid,   
which had changed from green to a warm pink-orange. Eventually, the   
body was fully formed. Jadeite smiled with satisfaction as he hit   
another couple of switches.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi could feel herself seeping into the solidity of the new   
body. A sense of wholeness returning to her being, mixed in with   
something else.... For a moment, she had a vision of light and   
darkness, mixing together, melding into a pallid gray. And then she   
was absorbed into the gray.  
  
It was like drowning. Every fibre of her being was in pain.   
But soon the pain was gone, and she could see something.... A   
vision....  
  
Herself and Rei. She was standing over Rei, who was badly   
injured. Beaten to a pulp, more like. She was glistening with some   
fluid that was letting loose vapour. Usagi struck a match and   
tossed it towards Rei.  
Rei was alight in seconds. Screaming in fear and pain and   
agony. She tried to roll, to put herself out, but it was hopeless.   
Usagi picked up a petrol can that was sitting beside her and tossed   
on some more fuel. Then she laughed. Laughed in sheer pleasure as   
her one-time friend fried to a crisp. What a fitting demise, she   
thought.  
  
Herself and Minako. She held onto the blond-haired girl by   
the throat, with one hand. She held her over the edge of a tall   
building. Minako, like Rei, had been beaten badly. She struggled   
with all her remaining strength as Usagi tightened her grip.   
Something had to give way. There was a cracking sound, and Minako   
spasmed, going limp. Usagi let her go and watched as she fell to   
the ground, shattering into a bloody heap when she got there.  
  
Herself and Makoto. This time Usagi was hurt. Damn the   
strength of that girl. But Usagi was stronger now. Makoto lay in   
the darkness of the night beside a park fountain, bleeding heavily.   
Where Usagi had thrown her. Slowly, Usagi staggered over to the   
larger girl's body and lifted her, pushing her towards the fountain.   
There, she grabbed hold of her hair with both hands and shoved her   
head into the fountain pool. For a couple of minutes, Makoto   
struggled, trying to pull her face from the water. But Usagi was   
stronger. She gritted her teeth as Makoto bucked and kicked. Usagi   
felt herself drooling with the effort.  
Eventually, Makoto went still. Usagi let her go and stood   
back, watching the girl in case she was foxing her. But the larger   
girl made no move to take her face out of the water....  
  
Herself and Haruka. Like the others, she was beaten to a   
pulp, lying face-forward on the living room carpet of an apartment,   
somewhere. Usagi was standing back, watching the older girl try to   
lift herself to her hands and knees.  
Usagi dived forward with her hands in crooked claws.   
Thrusting them into Haruka's back. Haruka let out a short cry as   
her chest cavity exploded over the carpet. She collapsed onto the   
floor. She was dead in seconds.  
  
Herself and Ami. She had almost succeeded in gaining mercy   
from Usagi. Almost. Usagi slapped her around the walls of the   
school gym a couple of times. Each punch, each belt, extracting   
blood. Then she grabbed Ami and threw her to the floor. Ami spun   
to look up at her attacker, and Usagi thrust her fingers into the   
girl's chest.  
She trembled with pleasure as Ami's chest exploded over her.  
  
Herself and Michiru. On the dockside pier, she'd pounded the   
older girl into submission. This one had put up less of a fight   
than she'd expected. Slowly, and deliberately, she spun the semi   
concious girl around, facing over the side of the pier, and slit her   
throat with a small knife she'd kept in her skirt pocket. Then she   
dumped her body over the pier, watching the water-senshi's body sink   
into the depths of her element, a raft of blood spreading outwards.  
  
Herself and Mamoru. This had been painful. She'd tried to   
win back his love. But he had rejected her at every attempt.   
Eventually, they were forced to fight. And he died when she cut him   
in two with her arm, glimmering with power like a shining blade.   
His two halves falling from the top of the tower where they had   
stood. Usagi wailed with grief.  
  
Herself and Naru. She had pursued the girl from classroom to   
classroom. Eventually, she had trappd her in one of the school   
offices. Naru was hiding underneath one of the desks there. Usagi   
dragged her out, kicking, screaming, begging for mercy. This girl   
now contained the power of Serenity..... It made Usagi feel ill to   
watch. Usagi thrust her fingers into Naru's skull, and she ruptured   
all the way down her body....  
  
Herself and Chibiusa. The wretched child that no longer   
looked like her. Her brown locks tied up in the style more   
reminiscent of Usagi.... Usagi tore out that hair from the little   
girl's scalp, then broke every bone in her body. Finally, she   
smashed her head in, trembling with anger, fury, and most of all,   
self-hatred.  
  
Herself and Hotaru. The younger girl had almost succeeded in   
stopping her. The mysterious powers of Saturn were not to be taken   
lightly. Twice Usagi had succeeded in resurrecting the darker side   
of Hotaru's nature. Oh how good it would have been to have used   
Hotaru against those that remained.... And now, after laying waste   
to a large area of Tokyo City, the two of them stood alone. Yet not   
alone. There was someone there.... A woman.... Setsuna....  
  
And she spoke  
  
"This is but a possibility of the future. One of many...."  
  
And the eyes of Usagi's new body began to open.  
  
And the cylinder exploded.  
  
Jadeite was blown back against the wall of the chamber,   
hitting his head. He sprawled over the ground for several moments,   
groaning as a light filled the room from where the cylinder had   
been. Jadeite registered that the light was moving towards him, and   
made an attempt to open his eyes. Whatever it was that had been   
generating the light was almost too much, and he screwed his eyes   
shut as he sat up. He felt gentle hands holding his shoulders.  
  
"Are you alright, Jadeite?" Came a gentle voice. Jadeite   
opened his eyes again and noticed the light was gone. In its place,   
kneeled next to him, was a naked Usagi. Solid and real. He copped   
at least ten seconds eyeful before he was slapped into looking the   
other way.  
"Sukebe!" Usagi gritted her teeth and stepped back, the   
fabric of her sailorfuku appearing around her at the merest thought.   
She stared down at her clothes, smiling. "Well, that is certainly   
something I never thought I could do."  
  
Jadeite turned back to her and stared in surprise. "Neither   
did I." he said rather blandly. Slowly, he got to his feet,   
rubbing the back of his head. "Ooohhh... That hurt." He turned to   
see the wreckage of his machine and hung his head. The cylinder and   
much of the equipment around it was irrepairable. "Oh well, it was   
good while it lasted." He muttered to himself. He turned back to   
Usagi, who was looking at her new body appreciatively.  
  
"I have to say, Jadeite, you certainly know your stuff. This   
one is even better than the last one." She looked up, smiling.   
"Well in terms of its physical dimensions, anyway."  
Jadeite smiled. "I take it you're satisfied with the   
outcome?" Usagi nodded. "Hmm, well you better have been. I'd hate   
to think my blessed machine bought the farm for nothing."  
Usagi looked back at the machine. "You mean it wasn't   
supposed to have happened like that?" She blinked in confusion.   
Jadeite chuckled.  
"Of course not. Can you imagine the cost of repairs and   
maintainance if it did that every time it spawned a new Youma?"   
Usagi shrugged.  
"I guess that would be a little on the expensive side."  
"So I'm wondering why it chose to do it this time. Maybe it   
couldn't take the powers of Serenity that went with the insertion of   
your spirit into the body...."  
"Whatever the case, I'm alive and well again." Usagi smiled,   
then her face went dark. "Of course, everyone back in Tokyo thinks   
I'm dead. It'd be something of a surprise to them all if I turned   
up alive...." Something within Usagi made her smile at that   
thought. It wasn't the kind Jadeite was used to seeing on her face.   
"Indeed, they will be MOST surprised to see me again...." Usagi   
rubbed her chin. She looked up at Jadeite and snapped her fingers.   
"Jadeite, we shall return to Tokyo immediately. It is time to   
devise a plan on how to make the lives of the sailor senshi   
incredibly difficult." Usagi smiled and she walked through the   
doorway, followed by Jadeite.  
  
Within him, he could feel something he had not felt since he   
had been sealed away by Queen Beryl.... The power of Metallia,   
guiding and commanding him.  
  
And it emanated from Usagi.  
  
END OF PART TWO  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Notes  
  
I keep changing the direction for this story with almost every   
paragraph. I almost felt I was losing direction somewhere along the   
line as I wrote this. Oh well, I very rarely go past first drafts   
due to a total lack of patience on my part.  
  
In the next chapter, I may contrive to give away the identity of the   
mysterious figures that were standing on the shrine wall. Then   
again, I may not. I shall, most certainly, show what happens when   
someone you think you've killed makes a return from the grave. The   
Inner Senshi are in for a bit of a shock.... And if you think   
that's bad, its nothing compared to what Setsuna is going through.  
  
^_^  
  
Any comments, criticism and outright abuse should go to   
darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
All abuse shall be forwarded to my bin. ^_^  
  
DDFA 


	3. Part 3: Bleeding With the Times

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 3  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
IRC: Mappy on DALnet's #AJAS  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so  
these characters really belong to them. I'm just abusing them in a  
manner most would describe as nothing short of scandalous. I hope  
nobody sues me for it. I have to eat, and if you've seen me,  
you'll quickly realise how much it must take.  
  
Part Three  
Bleeding With The Times  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
Setsuna was having something of a problem sleeping. And that  
was unusual. Setsuna NEVER had trouble sleeping. Well, not often.   
There wasn't anything she ever worried about. Well, not often.  
What will come did come, in that order, and exactly as she expected  
it to. There was very little about time that was a mystery to its  
guardian.  
  
Not this fine day, though.  
  
She lay in her bed, tossing and turning. Her sheets worked  
their way loose, which annoyed her even more. She was getting up  
every five minutes to readjust them. The sensation of the wrinkles  
against her back was too much. Then she felt too hot underneath the  
blankets and threw them off, only to feel too cold and drag them  
back on again.  
  
7.15am. She'd been in bed for less than an hour. She could  
see sunlight cast through her window. Sunlight had never worried  
her when it came to sleeping. She was used to the darkness. The  
day was anathema to her. It wasn't much sunlight, anyway. Could be  
cloudy out there. Maybe rain later....  
  
Umi.....  
  
She made a compromise and slept on top of her bedclothes with  
the heater on. It seemed to do the trick, even though the fuzziness  
of the blanket made her itchy. But still, she tossed and turned.  
She had things on her mind. Weighty things. Not things of the  
future, but of the past. She'd never worried about that before.  
  
Ocean of the Mind....  
  
A vision of Usagi. The Usagi she remembered. The REAL Usagi  
of the Silver Millenium. Serenity. She was elegant, beautiful, and  
happy. Setsuna wondered how it was possible that such a person  
could have been reincarnated as the current Usagi. The ex-Usagi.  
  
Uuuuuuuuuumiiiiiiiiii...... (chuckle)  
  
She shuddered. The future had become awfully muddied since  
she had allowed the others in on her vision of death. Setsuna  
turned. Why had they so willingly chosen to kill a girl who, only  
this time last year, they were willing to die for? Setsuna turned  
again. Of course, the vision was extremely graphic. Their deaths,  
in full colour no less.  
  
"Sleeping on the job? Tututututut, this will never do." The  
voice was annoying. It permeated her thoughts, as confused as they  
were, and wouldn't allow her the benefit of sleep. She turned. It  
sounded like a voice she knew. Whatever that meant. She had known  
a lot of people. Within the span of an ordinary life, one gets to  
know an unbelievably large number of people on a personal level. In  
the span of HER life even those who had been terribly close had  
faded into the recesses of memory. She reached out for the voice,  
and the face of a woman, about her age, with similar features and  
dark black-blue hair appeared.  
  
Setsuna was standing in the middle of a grassed plain. The  
plains of central Asia, long long ago. The Silver Millenium. There  
was nobody living here now. Not at this time, anyway. Yet this was  
the place.... Where she was... born? Yes, that was it. She had  
been born here.... She thought.  
  
"No shit, Sherlock." Said the woman who stood opposite her,  
leaning against a tree. "Its been a while, Hecate. Nice to see  
you're the same old screwhead you've always been...."  
  
Setsuna felt the weight of time weighing on her. Rather  
heavily.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi plodded along the streets of early morning Tokyo. It  
felt good to be doing it, too, because only hours ago, she thought  
she was never going to experience this feeling again. Not within a  
physical body, anyway.  
  
She had left Jadeite at his apartment. The poor guy looked  
like he was in need of some rest. It had been a busy night for him.  
Usagi felt like she'd just slept a year. She was bright, refreshed  
and full of energy. Oh, how full of energy she was.  
  
Before she'd left, she told Jadeite that she was going to go  
home. He had been against it, but she just couldn't resist the look  
on her parents' faces when she walked in that front door this  
morning. After resisting seeing them all of last night, resisting  
seeing them in their grief, she would pounce through that front door  
with a "surprise", and everything would be hunky-dory. Bugger the  
fact that there had been over a hundred witnesses to her death. She  
was alive and well now, and that was all that mattered.  
  
And then there would be the matter of the Senshi. Oh, how she  
salivated at the thought of first meeting them this morning.... If   
they were at school, of course. Usagi felt a strange pleasure run  
through her as she flexed her fingers. A strange action. She  
looked at her right hand. Two of the fingers seemed to be quivering  
slightly. She rubbed them with her other hand. Can't be anything  
wrong with this body yet. It was as new as a babe in arms. She  
ignored it and went back to her previous thoughts.  
  
How to deal with them. They had to be punished, of course.  
They couldn't be allowed to do what they did to her, and get away  
with it. And that included Luna, Artemis, Naru, Chibiusa and even  
Mamo-cha.... Chiba-san. "That bastard." Usagi thought to herself.  
"Loved me, did he? Told me time and time again I was the only thing  
in the world that mattered to him. I believed all that!"  
  
Usagi leant against a wall. Her right hand began to quiver as  
she felt tears come to her eyes. Tears of bitterness. Then she  
noticed the hand and grabbed it with her other. A twisted smiling  
expression crossed her face. "Stop it!" She said through clenched  
teeth. "Stop it now!" The hand, as if obeying her verbal command,  
settled. She stood away from the wall and, wiping the tears from  
her face, continued.  
  
Usagi reached her house at 7.20am. She rang the doorbell and  
waited. It took a while, but she heard someone shuffling up to the  
door, unlocking it. The door opened....  
  
"OOOOHAAAAAYOOO....." Usagi's welcome came to a sudden stop  
when she found herself face to face with Captain Kikotsuka.  
  
Who appeared a great deal more suprised to see Usagi than  
Usagi did to see her. Indeed, the police investigator let out a  
short, strangulated scream that was most unbecoming her position.  
  
----o  
  
Setsuna was sitting now, in that field of grass. The other  
woman stood a short distance from her, staring at the mountains on  
the horizon. It looked to Setsuna as if the sun was rising over  
those mountains. The woman had the most contemptuously smug smile  
on her face. Setsuna remembered many an occasion where she had  
tried to wipe that smile off her face, by force.  
  
"So, you killed the Princess...." The woman repeated slowly.  
Setsuna wondered if her amazing capacity to reiterate the obvious  
could have sounded any more deadpan.  
"I didn't want to." Setsuna found herself hugging the Time  
Key. She wondered where it had appeared from. The woman also  
seemed to carry a staff with her. Similar to her own, but crowned  
with a trident.  
"It doesn't matter if you didn't want to. You did. Its done  
now." The woman seemed to be impatient with her green-haired  
counterpart. "A very unwise decision, too, if you ask me."  
"I'm not asking you. I didn't want to kill her. But it was  
agreed upon by the other Senshi."  
The woman turned to Setsuna. "Which senshi, Hecate? The  
Inner Circle? Again?"  
"Naiad, you know I must bow to the wishes of the Inner Circle.  
Even with my powers, my capacity to manipulate the flow of time, I'm  
still a slave to the wants and wishes of others."  
"And that is why you have always fallen prey to their darker  
sides." the woman whom Setsuna had referred to as Naiad gestured  
dramatically, the plain dress she had been wearing forming into that  
of a Senshi. Even Setsuna's nightgown was forming into her own  
Senshi fuku. The pair of them looked like bookends, each other's   
opposite.  
Naiad paced around with frustration. "I have told you, time  
and time again, follow your instincts. Your instincts told you to  
leave well enough alone. You should have followed them."  
"I couldn't ignore the vision."  
"STUFF THE VISION. Everything to you is vision this and  
vision that. I'm amazed you've been able to endure this torture for  
so long."  
"You chose the easy way out." Setsuna pulled her knees under  
her chin. "You may have given into the madness. I shall not."  
"The mind is the biggest ocean of all. Forgive the High  
Miko of Water for not wanting to swim that ocean, even to its  
deepest, darkest regions." Naiad ran a hand over her mouth,  
smiling behind it, her eyes alive with a blue flame. Setsuna  
glanced sideways at her.  
"Where have you been, all this time? Why aren't you and the  
other Mikos reincarnated, yet?"  
  
"Who says I'm finished swimming that ocean?" Naiad rattled  
the rings that hung around the spokes of her trident. "Not to fear,  
Hecate, I am alive, but not conciously so."  
"That means you have to be asleep at the same time as I am for  
this conversation to occur...."  
"Yes, well, I seem to live as stressful a life as you. The  
capacity to delegate your designing duties at whim to suit your new  
found schedule. Ah, I wish I had that luxury in this life."  
  
There was silence between the two. They watched the sun rise  
even further. "Naiad..." Setsuna muttered, so softly the other  
woman almost missed it.  
"What is it?"  
"What am I going to do now?" There was another period of  
silence between the two. Then Naiad turned and began to walk away,  
turning and pausing briefly.  
"You made your bed, Hecate. Now you have to lie in it." The  
blue-haired woman made a sound, like a soft, inane chuckle, then  
continued on her way, eventually fading into a spray of blue.  
  
Then nothing.  
  
"Oneesama..." Setsuna managed to get out, before she fell off  
her bed, crashing onto the floor.  
  
"I... Itaaaiiiiiii!" Setsuna had landed face-first. She   
struggled to her hands and knees, rubbing her saw chin.  
  
"You bitch!" Setsuna cursed. "Make my bed and lie in it  
indeed. You know this isn't over yet. You bloody bitch!"  
  
----o  
  
It had taken the Tsukinos some time to bring Captain Kikotsuka  
around. First, there was the fact that they had all fainted at the  
sight of Usagi. Then, once they had come round (thanks to Usagi's  
best efforts) they spent much of their time hugging their daughter  
and telling her how much they loved her. It took Usagi's newfound  
cool head to remind them that the Captain was lying in the hallway  
floor.  
  
But before that, they had to calm her second-in-command,  
Akunatsuka. The burly 45 year old veteran had seen a lot in his  
time, but never the resurrection of someone he KNEW to be dead.  
  
"B..bb...bbbuuut I saw her.... I saw her face and its her for  
sure. I know it was her who was dddddeadddd....."  
"Yes yes yes, I'm quite sure, Akunatsuka-san. Sit down in  
this chair here for a while, okay?" Kenji guided Akunatsuka to a  
seat on one side of the loungeroom.  
  
Kikotsuka sighed and stared at him. She was being seated in  
a large armchair by Usagi and her mother, on the opposite side of   
the room, and had been handed a glass of water. Why, she didn't   
know, but she drank it all.  
  
She and Akunatsuka had been with the Tsukinos all night. More  
to ask them about Usagi than anything else, for obvious reasons.  
After all, it was one of the more unusual deaths they had ever been  
involved with. Most of Usagi's chest and stomach had been blown  
clean out. It was not often that they had to deal with a murder  
investigation where the victim died from being struck by a missile  
sent by something the equivalent of a rocket launcher.  
  
It had been hard for them, though. The parents were clearly  
and understandably upset. So Kikotsuka had opted to stay with the  
Tsukino's that night in the hope that talking to them on a more  
personal level would derive some clue as to who might have been  
responsible. The thought had, more than once, gone through her  
mind that, trying to find the killer of a schoolgirl everyone  
seemed to like was going to be next to impossible when one  
considered the method of her death. Nobody who even had a millionth  
of a reason to have done it had the capacity for committing such a  
ferocious act. And so, it all seemed to be heading for a classic  
dead-end scenario. Kikotsuka Aoi hated dead-end scenarios. She  
hated any end that smacked of being a loose one.  
  
None of them got any sleep that night, except Shingo. After  
having to take them to the hospital so they could identify their  
daughter was enough of a minor hell to leave both parents rattled  
beyond rest. Before any of them knew it, the sun was rising. Ikuko  
had offered to make everyone breakfast, rather blearily. Aoi said  
she would help, but Ikuko said there was no need. Aoi had watched  
the poor woman, looking washed out and tired, stagger into the  
kitchen and start on making toast and coffee. Akunatsuka was with  
Kenji in the loungeroom. The two of them were chatting quietly with  
the tv on in the background. It was about then that the doorbell  
rang. Ikuko turned in confusion, looking as if she was about to  
drop the coffee jug, when Aoi stood.  
  
"I'll get that, Tsukino-san. Its more likely for me than  
you." Aoi turned and began to shuffle her way down the front  
passageway....  
  
Which lead to the current situation. After all of them had  
positively identified Usagi as being the dead victim, they found it  
extremely hard to cop that she was now sitting, very much alive,   
in front of them.  
  
Aoi, recovering fully from her turn, watched as the Tsukino's   
joy turned into suspicion. Usagi was now bailed up by the both of   
her parents, being asked a barrage of questions.  
  
"....You're sure you're alright?" Kenji fired.  
"Hai, papa. I'm alright."  
"But we SAW you in the hospital...." Ikuko rubbed her face.  
"That wasn't me. Couldn't have been me. I mean, I'm here,  
aren't I? I'm alive...."  
"So where have you BEEN all night, young lady?" Ikuko again.  
"I... uhh... I can't remember."  
"What do you MEAN you can't remember?" Ikuko.  
"I... woke up in the schoolyard this morning. I couldn't,  
still can't, remember anything since class ended yesterday."  
  
"You can't remember?" Aoi asked offhandedly, raising an  
eyebrow. It had not been unusual, but there were occasions when  
strangers had tried to disguise themselves as crime victims to get  
into the lives of the family. And Usagi's picture had been flashed  
across television bulletins on the late night news. It was  
fortunate that the media hadn't been hounding the Tsukino's  
residence. "Before we proceed, may we be permitted to take a  
statement from Usagi, Kenji-san, Ikuko-san?" The Tsukino's turned  
to Aoi as the woman regained her professional composure. Akunatsuka   
bit his lower lip as she stood and stepped over to the parents.  
  
"Wh... What do you need to take a statement for?" Kenji  
asked in confused tiredness. His wife chided him, seeing in Aoi's  
request the hidden meaning. Usagi didn't though.  
"Yeah, what?"  
  
"Because we identified our daughter as dead." She took her   
husband by the arm and turned to Aoi. "Kikotsuka-san... I pray  
that this girl is our daughter. But the girl we identified was,  
also, most certainly her. If she is an imposter, you know what to  
do...."  
  
"An IMPOSTER?" Usagi couldn't believe what she was hearing.  
"What do you MEAN, an imposter. I AM Tsukino Usagi, not some poor  
lame psycho trying to muck up your lives or anything...."  
  
"We shall see about that, my dear." Aoi gestured Usagi to  
stand from her seat. Usagi sighed and complied, waving her hand in  
a gesture of contempt.  
  
"I take it this means I must go to your beloved police station  
hmmmm?"  
"Yes, you should take it that way." Aoi smiled back simply,  
trying to hide any emotions over this. Usagi stared at her, then  
Akunatsuka, then back again. The glare was unsettling, to say the  
least. Almost like being stared into by the dead.  
  
Aoi put that thought out of her mind as she guided Usagi to  
the front door. Ikuko and Kenji watched them go, the father still  
confused by this turn of events.  
  
"Is.... Is this really necessary?" He mumbled.  
"Better to confirm than to not." Ikuko looked up at her  
husband's sore, tired eyes. It shocked her to see the light of  
hope that was there with Usagi's reappearance fading. "She  
certainly looks like her, anata, and speaks like her."  
  
"Yes, maybe it is her." Kenji whispered. "But there IS  
something different." Ikuko looked at him strangely as the front  
door closed, shutting them off from Usagi and the detectives.  
  
----o  
  
Setsuna wandered the streets. She was most embarassed to be  
seen in such roughly-picked casual clothing, but she didn't feel  
like dressing up today. Even her hair was messy. A sure sign that  
things were REALLY off key in her head.  
  
She thought about going back to the shrine. She may as well  
chide the girls for allowing the party to run so late. She well  
knew they would not be expected at school today, the grief bit and  
all, but still... She was up and running, why shouldn't they?  
  
Probably because they'd look like her, thats why.  
  
Setsuna shivered. The vision of her sister had left her  
feeling uneasy. Naiad had often teased and tormented her in visions  
throughout her long life. Lives, to be more precise, as of now.  
She and Naiad were very similar in many ways. Naiad had been born a  
good year before her, as would be the way in the division between  
Miko and Senshi.  
  
They both commanded elements of time, and darkness. They both  
had the capacity to see the possibilites of the future. They both  
had guided, at some point, those around them, to achieve the best  
possible scenario. They even shared similar personalities, taking  
mutual joy in totally confounding those around them. Ah, the  
pleasures of an enigmatic personality....  
  
It was not long after the founding of the Silver Millenium,  
however, that things started to go wrong with Naiad. She became  
more withdrawn, preferring her own company. In the middle of the  
night, she would perform ceremonies in the main shrine of the  
palace. Nobody knew what for. Her behaviour around others became  
erratic and eccentric. She started playing with the minds of   
others, playing one off another and studying the result. Then she   
committed suicide.  
  
The dark pit of eternity opened wide within Setsuna's soul. Of  
course, she should have seen it coming, but she didn't. If there  
was anyone whose future was blind to herself and Naiad, it was the  
both of them. They'd trusted in others the happy future in the hope  
that they, too, would partake in it.  
  
Setsuna withdrew from public life after that. It was the  
biggest error of all. Withdrawing was what caused her to fail in  
her task of protecting the Kingdom, allowing its downfall. She  
didn't see that particular future until it was too late to do  
anything, other than let it happen and hope for the best. So, in a  
way, Naiad was responsible for what happened to the Silver  
Millenium. Of course, Naiad may have killed herself because she saw  
what was coming. In which case, her death was a warning. A warning  
Setsuna had chosen to ignore in her grief....  
  
The city seemed to be closing around her as she plodded on.  
She was so tired now, yet sleep evaded her. The city closed even  
further in. And further, and further. Suddenly Setsuna snapped to  
and realised that it wasn't her imagination. The buildings were  
rearranged, linked together. "NO!" She thought. "Not the Eternal  
City!"  
  
Buildings grew out of nowhere in the distance, and seemed to  
go on and on and on and on.... Setsuna ran in blind panic. Walls  
and buildings closed around her. She ducked in every doorway,  
through every gap, trying to escape the warped dimensions of what  
was forming around her. The ultimate nightmare vision, the Eternal  
City.  
  
Everywhere she ran, everywhere she climbed, the city existed.  
An interconnected series of buildings, towers, malls, arcades,  
offices, whatever in an endless pattern that was everwhere. There  
was nothing for it in her mind. She climbed the stairs of one of  
the tallest buildings.... She had to get to the top... Had to  
confront the vision, or else her mind could be trapped, forever....  
  
And when she reached there, and stared out at the city, going  
on into infinity in all directions, she screamed.  
  
Water dripped on her face. She felt rain. She looked up at  
the dark clouds, and realised she was back on the ground. In the  
street. Where it all started.  
  
And as the rain fell, she continued to stare up at the sky.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi sat in the rear seat of the unmarked police vehicle,  
brooding quietly. This was not the way things were supposed to go,  
she thought. She was supposed to have her parents welcoming her  
back with open arms, and everything would be alright. At least on  
the domestic front, anyway. She hadn't thought about what the  
police's reaction would be to her reappearance. Well, looks like  
she'll have to wait to make her dramatic reappearance in front of  
the other senshi.  
  
Still, that could be all the better. Time to plan her revenge  
against those little sailorshits. Those bitches who tried to kill  
her.... More than once.  
  
More than once? Usagi stared out of the car window, a little  
confused by her own thoughts. What the hell did she mean?  
  
Left or right. Which way should I go from here. It can be so  
difficult during the rush hour to get to the station, especially  
when coming in from this side. Those weren't her thoughts, and it  
confused her for a moment as to how she got them in her head. Then  
she remembered that she had tried to read the minds of Kikotsuka  
and Akunatsuka back in her house. The link, with Akunatsuka, was  
still open. He, of course, was driving. But as for Kikotsuka....  
  
She hadn't been able to break into her mind. There was  
something blocking her attempts. She wondered what it could be that  
could resist her newfound powers. She'd only thought about  
influencing their minds, almost as a throwaway, when things started  
to look a bit bad for her. She was surprised when the link with  
Akunatsuka opened. She could see his every thought, want and desire  
in a matter of moments. She then tried it on Kikotsuka.... But to  
no avail.  
  
Rain fell against the front windscreen, and Akunatsuka cursed  
as they were caught by a red light. "Jeez, its gonna take a good  
half an hour before we get there in this. They'll close off the  
bridge for sure."  
"Just settle down, Kaji, there's no rush." Aoi turned aside  
and saw a scruffy looking, dark-green haired woman staring into the  
sky, soaked with the rain. For a moment, a smile crossed her face.  
She didn't know why, but it just felt.... right.  
  
Setsuna turned her head and looked at the car, drawn by some  
force. She saw Usagi, who had seen her. Usagi smiled and pointed  
her hand like a gun at Setsuna, and fired. The car moved on.  
  
Setsuna watched it go. All she could do was laugh. And laugh  
and laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh.  
  
END OF PART THREE  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Notes  
  
And now, I suppose you're going to ask who Setsuna's sister is.  
Well, I'm not going to tell you. Not in this story, anyway. I'm  
saving that for another I'm working on, about the creation of  
Crystal Tokyo, and the rather vicious sacrifices that must be made  
towards it, a story I refer to as "Bishoujo Miko Zodiac 12", and it  
will be set after Sailorstars. It will also have nothing to do with  
this story, as I only cannibalised one of the characters from that  
one to suit some of this one's more apocalyptic aspects.  
  
Indeed, you shall see Naiad's current life in this story. I'm not  
telling you who she is or not, as that will give some things away,  
so I'll leave it up to you to guess who she is. You may be  
surprised if you think you know already.  
  
I intend to use the Asteroid Senshi in later parts of this story. I  
know they only really appear as the asteroid senshi in the manga,  
but the general pattern of their ultimate redemption and  
resurrection is there in the anime as well. And besides, after my  
wanton twisting of the canon for "Sailor Python", I really can't see  
how I can make things any worse.  
  
In the next chapter, the original Usagi proves not to be as dead as  
everyone thought. So this begs the question, who stepped out of  
Jadeite's Youma Spawning Machine?  
  
The REAL nasty stuff begins then. ^_^  
  
Any comments, criticism and outright abuse should go to   
darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
All abuse shall be hung, drawn and quartered. In that order,   
even. ^_^  
  
DDFA 


	4. Part 4: The Bells of Erebus

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 4  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
IRC: Mappy on DALnet's #AJAS  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so  
these characters really belong to them. I'm just abusing them in a  
manner most would describe as nothing short of scandalous. I hope  
nobody sues me for it. I'm a great deal poorer than they shall ever be.  
  
Part Four  
The Bells of Erebus  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
  
The young girl with the dark hair and the Silence Glaive sat  
atop the small building, looking down upon the garden courtyard,  
not thinking. Her mind was blank, empty, devoid of all neurological  
processes. Yet she was not dead. There was no reason to think,  
here. And that was because she didn't know where here was. Nor  
could she vaguely remember who she was. Or what she was. Or even  
what the honorific "she" meant. Devoid of a thought base, the girl  
sank into a state of intellectual torpor. And she stayed there.  
  
For years.  
  
Not aging.  
  
Not thinking.  
  
Not anything.  
  
And then there was an explosion. One that ripped a goodly portion  
of the city away. This city of eternally linked buildings. For the  
first time in a very long time, she moved. Her mind began to work.  
Slowly, at first, then with increasing haste as the explosions  
spread through the honeycomb of bricks and mortar. She stood and  
watched as missile-like projectiles struck the city from above.  
Slowly and surely, she lifted her head to the sky and watched as  
a silent black-metal dirigible floated overhead, dropping small  
needle-shaped bombs from angled holes in its base.  
  
One flew in her direction. Straight at her. She decided,  
then and there, that it was time to run.  
  
She leapt off the building, over the rooves of several others  
and felt herself being pushed forward by the shockwave of the blast.  
The heat it gave off was incredible. She almost envisioned her  
fuku and flesh being seared from her back. But she knew better than  
to believe just anything. Even if she didn't want to, she ended up  
believing in this city, and here it trapped her.  
  
"Help me...." A soft whisper that came from nowhere struck  
her ears as she flew over a small stadium. One whip of the glaive  
on the metal rim of the stands was enough to propel her clean across  
the gap. She landed on the other side and momentarily looked back.  
  
Whatever it was that had been floating in the sky had decided  
to take pursuit. It was travelling twice as fast as before, and its  
missiles were being shot out with equivalent ferocity. Large  
portions of the city were disappearing within fireballs of totally  
breathtaking magnitude. The flames that shot out of them were the  
most beautiful iridescent shades of the spectrum. For a moment, she  
was dazzled.  
  
"Help me...." The voice again. She stared around. There  
didn't seem to be a specific direction from which the voice  
originated.  
"Yes, I shall help you. But how?"  
"Destroy it."  
"Destroy what?"  
"Destroy it."  
  
She looked up into the sky. The dirigible was getting  
painfully close now. It had stopped firing madly as it saw her  
pause and decided to take a better aim. She held up her glaive,  
pointing at the object.  
  
"Destroy that?"  
"Destroy it."  
That was more than enough information. She sneered at the  
object. "Indeed. I must destroy it. I live to destroy." She  
began to chant. Words this body had never before uttered, yet were  
strangely familiar. The glaive began to ring, producing a noise  
not unlike a manic jet engine. The dirigible fired a missile, with  
deadly direct accuracy. There was a blast of fluorescent green that  
levelled close to twenty buildings around where the girl stood. And  
yet, when the blast cleared, still she stood, still chanting, an  
almost insanely happy gleam in her eye.  
  
"DARKNESS AXIOM!" She shouted. Her voice echoed across the  
city with a force that shattered windows for billions of light  
years. No problem for the city. As soon as the windows were  
smashed they were replaced. An entire building, however was  
another matter.  
  
Her glaive sliced in the direction of the dirigible, and it  
split in half. Billions of litres of black ooze poured from the  
two halves as they collapsed to the ground, much of it falling over  
the girl. She opened her mouth and drank freely the liquid black.  
The taste was unbelievably sweet, and she felt the desire to hunt  
more of its kind to relive this sensation. As the two halves came  
crashing down either side of her, the liquid that had stained  
itself on her body fizzled and dissipated, leaving her as clean as  
before.  
  
"More...." She said through gritted teeth. "I want to kill  
more."  
"Left, in a day." the voice echoed. She turned to her left  
and stared out into the distance. Nothing but buildings there, the  
same as before. In a day, however. Were there even days here. It  
meant twentyfour hours of her time. Travel straight in that  
direction for twentyfour hours without stopping and she'd find what  
she most desired.  
  
She began with haste, licking her lips in anticipation.  
  
----o  
  
She stared out of unfamiliar eyes with unfamiliar thoughts   
running through her mind. Secret messages calling to the mind of   
the woman who stepped through the rear door of the large building,   
marching the reluctant young girl she thought she recognised from   
somewhere into the bare corridors.  
  
Usagi tried, more than once, to link with her.  
  
All attempts failed. But the reverse was another story.  
  
----o  
  
There is no place in a hospital that can be said to be quieter   
than the morgue. Quiet as death, so to speak.  
  
It had been rather busy in the preceding hours, after   
receiving up to 15 bodies the previous day, each requiring a   
certification of the manner of their deaths. In the case of one  
particular blond-haired girl, it wasn't all that difficult. What   
with the vast majority of her mid-section unavailable for scrutiny.  
  
She was still laid out in the "cold room", where bodies were  
kept reasonably fresh, much like walk-through coldstores. At least,  
the orderlies did their best to position the top bits with the legs  
in a manner that looked reasonably like this was how they sat when  
the girl was alive. They did this when the parents had to identify  
her. They really didn't know what else to do afterwards. The  
coronial investigation seemed to be stalled for some reason. Nobody  
was sure why, but there was a feeling that, due to the nature of the  
death, and the fact that no evidence was found at the "murder" site  
to support anything other than spontaneous combustion, the higher  
ups weren't in a hurry to bring about a result. Nobody expected  
there to be one.  
  
What nobody at the hospital realised, as yet, was that a  
result was already in the offing. Twice, even.  
  
The orderly was sitting some distance from the door to the  
cold-room, leaning back in his chair, trying to read a report sheet  
at the makeshift desk. His predecessor had stuck the desk there, as  
there was no actual office for those who operated the morgue. It  
was quieter here, anyway. Nobody visited the morgue unless they had   
to, and half of those were pretty quiet to begin with.  
  
It was because the quiet had suddenly been broken that he fell  
out of his chair, banging his head on the floor rather painfully.  
He got to his feet, rubbing the back of his head and staring into  
the cold-room. What the hell was that, anyway? It sounded like  
metal tinkling. Almost musical....  
  
He stepped forward and stared disbelievingly through the  
thick clear plastic curtain streamers that fell from the top of the  
doorway. Inside, by the body of the girl, stood a woman with long  
dark-green hair, dressed in what appeared to be a somewhat ornate  
sailorfuku, holding a priest's staff in one hand. The other hand  
touched the girl's face. There was an extremely sad expression on  
the face of the woman.  
  
The woman noticed his presence and looked up, her expression  
changing to that of a smile. "Hello." She said.  
"Uh, hi." He said back. The woman waved her free hand in his  
direction.  
"Sleep and forget." He did, as he fell to the floor, out to  
the world. Setsuna inwardly shrugged. There were some benefits to  
her powers, even if they only ever seemed to bring her grief. She  
turned back to Usagi's body. The girl's face was caught in the same  
expression of shocked surprise that it had upon death. Setsuna  
shivered... Even the eyes were still open, staring up at her,  
almost accusingly. It was you who killed me, they said, what are  
you going to do about it? Are you here to apologise? Its too late  
for that, now.  
No, Setsuna thought. Its never too late. She clanged her  
staff onto the floor, closed her eyes and waved her free hand over  
Usagi's face. For a few moments, nothing seemed to be happening.  
Then Usagi's pale death pallour brightened, her body convulsed, and  
she began to breathe through lungs that, only seconds before, didn't  
exist. Setsuna smiled. She hadn't lost her touch.  
  
Then Setsuna quivered. She backed against the rear wall and  
fell back in pain. Oh well, at least she could die now knowing  
she'd at least absolved herself of something. Using her power to  
turn back small pockets of time, just another one of those things  
she wasn't allowed to do under threat of death. She often wondered  
just what the hell she WAS allowed to do.  
  
Then again, if she had been allowed, she would probably run  
amok in time, and that would be bad, wouldn't it? She wondererd,  
sometimes.  
  
Darkness overcame her, and she fell sideways to the floor with  
a soft thud, just as Usagi sat up and stared blearily around the  
room, wondering where the hell she was and what the hell she was  
doing in a place this cold with no clothes on.  
  
"Brrr... What the hell is this?" She quickly slipped off the  
bench she was lying on and began to dance on the spot. "Jeezuz, is  
it Winter already, or something?" Usagi noticed a sheet, sitting  
on the bottom end of the bench. For a moment she considered  
wrapping it around her. It was only when she picked it up that she  
realised the entire centre of the sheet was covered in blood. She  
let out a small cry and dropped the sheet. All this occurred in   
about three seconds.  
  
"What.... What the hell is going on, here?" Usagi looked at  
herself for a moment, and was horrified to find dried bloodstains  
around the middle of her body. "Oh God, whats been happening here?"  
She stared around the room. Then she spotted Setsuna.  
"P...Pluto...." Her concern for herself was momentarily  
forgotten as she ran over to the side of the fallen senshi. For  
some reason, Setsuna's pallour seemed to be dissipating, almost as  
if she was fading into a translucent shell. When Usagi touched her,  
it felt like touching the beached body of a jellyfish.... No  
substance whatsoever. "What the hell have you done?" Usagi wanted  
to pick her up, but thought better of it. There was only one thing  
she could do to help Setsuna now, that was use the....  
  
"Well, being naked naturally means I have absolutely NO use of  
the Ginzuishou.... Damn." She thought to herself as she reached  
out to touch Setsuna, wishing like hell she could save the woman.  
  
Then Setsuna stood up. Just like that. No ifs. No buts. No  
maybes. She stood up and looked like a human being, not the product  
of a giant jelly mould. Usagi fell back as Setsuna let out a small  
cry of surprise. She also did a small rain dance across the floor.  
  
"Ow, shit, heck, damn, effing ow, ouchie, itaiii,   
iiiitatatatatatatatatatata.... yowowowowow!" Setsuna suddenly   
stopped and stared around the room, eventually spotting Usagi, who   
was attempting to achieve a sense of modesty by placing hands in the   
right positions.  
"My Princess..." She said. "I realise that the thought of my  
dying may have been rather upsetting to you, but did you really feel  
the need to stick that much of your energy through me to achieve the  
task of bringing me back?"  
  
----o  
  
Hotaru awoke from a less-than-satisfactory sleep feeling like  
she'd just run a marathon. "Well," she thought, "thats pretty par  
for the course for me." Slowly, she swung her legs around from out  
of the covers and sat on the edge of the bed. She closed her eyes  
and counted to three, then stood.  
  
"OW! OW! OW! Ohhh, that hurts." She said through clenched  
teeth, making balls of her fists. Her entire body was rigid,  
shaking as the pain shot through her body like needles of torture.  
She'd grown another half inch whilst she was asleep. At this rate  
she'd catch up with the others in no time. She just wished the  
process had been a little bit slower.  
  
There was a knock at her bedroom door, and she heard her  
father's voice. "Hotaru-chan, are you alright in there?"  
"Haaaaaiii. I've just grown a little more in my sleep."  
Her father opened the door and stepped in, never caring much  
for such niceties as modesty and privacy. "I told you what would  
happen if you went to bed late. You always get these little growth  
spurts when you go to sleep later than you should."  
"Aww, dad. You know that's bull. I get them half the time  
that I sleep early."  
"And just what were you doing out so late last night, young   
lady? Hmm? Some kind of party, hmm?"  
"D... Didn't you hear?"  
"Hear what?"  
"Didn't I tell you?"  
"What? Tell me what? You know I'm too busy working to hear  
everything that goes on in your life." Her father sniffed and  
scratched his head. "Don't think I've slept in five days. I better  
get some now."  
He turned around to walk out. Hotaru shook her head.  
"Don't you want to hear where I've been?"  
"Hmm?" He turned around and looked at her, blinking. He  
coughed and stuttered. "Yes. Well, okay, where have you been,  
young lady?"  
"At a wake."  
"Hmm? A wake? For whom?"  
"Tsukino Usagi. You remember her, don't you?"  
  
"Usagi. Usagi...." He went off into his own thoughts and  
Hotaru sighed. With a shake of her head she stepped past him and  
out through the hallway, into the kitchen. There, she opened the  
fridge and looked inside. For a moment, she was tempted to get  
herself a glass of milk, but remembered she was supposed to be  
lactose intolerant. She was also allergic to orange juice, and  
to any caffeine products, including both tea and coffee.  
  
"Lets face it," she thought to herself, "I'm allergic to  
life." She wondered under what bad sign she had been born. She  
quickly stopped wondering. She KNEW what bad sign she'd been born  
under. Sighing, she pulled a carton of apple juice from the fridge  
and shut the door. She placed the carton on the kitchen bench and  
reached up into the cupboard for a glass when she heard her father  
scream out.  
  
"USAAAAAAAGIIIII!?!?!?!" Hotaru brained herself on the  
cupboard as she involuntarily attempted the world record high jump.  
Her father came charging into the kitchen, taking her by the arm.  
"You're talking about THAT Tsukino Usagi, aren't you?"  
"We do only know one, Dad."  
"How CAN she be dead? Isn't she supposed to be the  
reincarnation of Princess Serenity?"  
"Not any more, obviously." Hotaru sighed and pulled herself  
from her father's arm. He stared at her for her seemingly callous  
comment.  
"H...How could you say that? I mean, like THAT? How could  
you just fob her off like that. She's DEAD, Hotaru. The Princess  
you're supposed to protect. To defend with your LIFE."  
Hotaru gritted her teeth. "ALRIGHT, damn you. Don't you  
think I KNOW that. EH? Don't you think I realise what we've done  
is wrong, EH?"  
"What YOU'VE done??" Hotaru shuddered, inwardly kicking  
herself for what she'd said. Her father stepped forward, taking her  
by the shoulders, and momentarily surprised by how tall she actually  
was now. "I think you'd better tell me what's been going on, young  
lady."  
"NO!" Hotaru wrenched herself from him and stepped around him  
intent on returning to her bedroom. He grabbed her on her way past  
with greater intent.  
"I'm NOT asking you to. You WILL tell me what has been going  
on. I want to know." Hotaru looked aside, seemingly frustrated by  
her own inaction. Her father spoke more softly. "You're going to  
have to tell me sometime, Hotaru. You're not the kind of person  
who can bottle stuff up. Thats only ever made you sick."  
"You understand NOTHING about me. I'm not some weak child who  
doesn't understand anything. Leave me alone!"  
Hotaru shook off her father and charged out of the kitchen.  
He clenched his fist and closed his eyes. "Good move there, old  
son. Push her further away from you." He opened his eyes and  
stared ahead. He would have to wait until later. She'd tell him  
eventually.  
He stood there for a few moments longer, thinking, praying,  
that what she said didn't mean what he thought it meant.  
  
----o  
  
Minako coughed, sniffed, and sat up staring in the kind of   
bleary-eyed manner most have after waking up approximately in the   
middle of a dream. It had been about running away from a large army   
of people who were pursuing her through a cityscape. Then she found   
herself in an almost desolate landscape, yet starkly beautiful. She   
wondered where she'd seen that before.  
  
"I wonder how Setsuna's doing." She thought. Then she  
wondered why she even had that thought and turned to the others.  
Rei was turning in her sleep, looking fairly annoyed with something.  
Makoto was dead to the world, mouth wide open and drooling. Naru  
was turned away from her, so she couldn't see what she was doing.  
As for Chibiusa... The girl's hair... Was pink again...  
  
Minako stared in disbelief and reached forward to touch  
Chibiusa's shoulder, when she realised she was reaching over the  
spot Ami should have been sleeping. Minako looked around for the  
blue-haired girl, but she was nowhere to be seen. Minako slowly  
got to her feet. Ami went outside for fresh air earlier that  
morning, but surely she came back in....  
  
"Rei-chan..."  
"Whdizitgwaywannanutherfivemnits." Rei mumbled.  
"Rei-chan, Ami's gone."  
"Sprollygntatakealeakgbacktasleep." Minako looked down on Rei  
with annoyance. The girl just had NO sense of responsibility.  
Minako huffed and rapidly changed into some street clothes, combing her   
hair into a sense of unkempt normalcy. She then stepped into  
the dim sunlight of 10.30 in the morning with a feeling that  
something wasn't quite right.  
  
----o  
  
"....That's about all I've got to say." Usagi sat back in her  
seat, smiling as Kikotsuka rubbed a hand across her face, and her  
partner stared off into space. Usagi had been able to answer all of  
their questions about her past. All of those they knew, of course.  
If they'd had EVERY little piece of information, they might have  
found Usagi's smugness rather less than irritating.  
"Listen..." Aoi put her hands hands up, looking across the  
small desk in the middle of the equally small interview room at  
Usagi. "We have a body sitting in the morgue of the local hospital.  
Now, that body belongs to someone, right?"  
"Well of course it does. But its obviously not mine."  
"Whose else could it be? Over a hundred people saw you die.  
Hit by some bolt of energy. These include your best friends, who  
were with you at the time."  
"Well they must be wrong. It most certainly wasn't me."  
"Oh for f... It WAS you. your parents identified you. It  
was YOU. Even the few tests we've been able to take of the body  
proved it to be yours."  
"So you admit it was MY body, do you?"  
Aoi threw her hands in the air in frustration.  
"No no no no no! I meant the body was proven to be that of  
Tsukino Usagi. Dental records prove this to be the case."  
Usagi found herself involuntarily picking at her teeth.  
"Well, you can check these ones out if you like. I mean, if you  
really want proof of my being who I KNOW myself to be."  
"Aww, look, this is not some school prank. The remains were  
human, and they were said to be yours. The face is untouched, and  
I'm looking at it right now. You can't be her. That girl was  
most definitely dead and most definitely Tsukino Usagi!"  
Aoi felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to Akunatsuka.  
"What? What do you want?" She snapped. he sighed and shook his  
head.  
"Don't get yourself all wound up. You're as red as a  
beetroot, you know that?" Aoi could have socked him then and there.  
She stood and walked to the front wall of the room, trying to regain  
her composure. Akunatsuka turned to Usagi and smiled. She smiled  
back, sweetly.  
"Yes?" She asked. He chuckled.  
"I take it you would be willing to undergo tests to prove you  
are who you say you are?"  
"Of course. Any test, I'll take it. If for no other reason  
than to get you off my back and get on with life."  
"Any test? Even a genetic one?" Aoi asked offhandedly, not  
turning. Usagi looked at her for a moment.  
"Uh, of course." Usagi wondered what was crossing the woman's  
mind. It occurred to her that her voice seemed remarkably calm and  
fay for the mood she had been in only moments before. There was an  
increase of energy in the room. The same energy that had been  
blocking her attempts to establish a link with the woman's mind.  
  
Suddenly, something seemed to dawn on her.... A genetic test.  
This body was the product of Jadeite's Youma Spawning Machine. It  
wouldn't carry any of the original Usagi's genetic makeup! The  
smile left her face and she was more than disturbed when she heard  
Kikotsuka chuckle.  
  
Aoi turned, a beatific smile on her face, eyes burning a deep  
blue. For a moment, Usagi wondered if the woman was attempting to  
do the same to her that she had tried, and failed, to do. She was  
rescued when the duty officer entered the room. Kikotsuka and  
Akunatsuka turned to meet him.  
  
"Officer Taeki enters the room." Akunatsuka said for the  
benefit of the recording of interview. Taeki sighed and looked  
at Usagi for a moment. A smile returned to her face as the officer  
turned to Kikotsuka.  
"Can I speak with you for a moment?" Taeki gestured outside.  
Aoi turned to her partner.  
"Interview suspended at 11.02am." Akunatsuka switched off the  
inset recorder and removed the cassette. He stood and followed  
Aoi and Taeki as they stepped into the corridor. He turned to Usagi  
before he closed the door. "You stay seated."  
"What else am I going to do?" Usagi gestured expansively.  
Her recently resurrected smile aggravating him. He shut the door  
quickly.  
  
Usagi leaned back. Well, it looked like Setsuna had been  
doing her job. "What are you up to, eh?" She thought of the woman  
and began to worry. Of all the senshi to know she is alive, she  
would have preferred Setsuna to have been the last. But then, she  
probably knew what would happen beforehand. which begged the  
question... Why did she allow the killing to take place, and what  
role did she play in the events, if she did know what was going to  
happen.  
  
The more she thought about it, the more it bugged her. Then  
her right hand began to quiver. She stared at it, holding it out  
in front of her. It started to get worse....  
  
----o  
  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, MISSING?" Taeki cringed under Aoi's  
splenetic rage.  
"That's what the hospital said. According to the management,  
one of the orderlies who was put in charge of the morgue at the  
time was found unconcious on the floor, and the girl's remains  
were gone."  
"OH FOR KAMI'S SAKE!!!" Aoi stepped away and began to bang  
her head against the nearest piece of wall, making all within  
visual shot stare at her. Akunatsuka began to worry that the  
stress might be getting to her. He couldn't blame her.  
  
"So, what do we do now?" Akunatsuka turned to Taeki. The  
duty officer shrugged.  
"Looks like the old man will spit the dummy pretty soon. Its  
less than a day and he's already had enough."  
"I'll tell you what we do." Aoi turned suddenly. "We go to  
the hospital and BUST HEADS until we get some answers. A body just  
doesn't go missing. Someone has had to have taken it, and in all  
likelihood, its still in the hospital somewhere. Theres something  
going on here we don't understand yet, and I'm damned if I'm going  
to let it slide."  
  
There was a crash and a sharp cry from within the interview  
room. The trio turned and looked at each other. Akunatsuka opened  
the door.  
  
Usagi was on the floor, clutching at her right arm, groaning  
in pain. She stared up at them. "Help... Help me... It hurts so  
much." Akunatsuka stepped in and knelt beside her, Aoi following  
him. She turned to Taeki and gestured to him.  
"Call the medic. It may be nothing but we better make sure."  
"Right." Taeki dashed away as others crowded around the door.  
Akunatsuka lifted Usagi into a sitting position and studied her arm.  
It was convulsing uncontrollably, in a series of tonic-clonic  
seizures. No sooner did it begin to settle than it would begin  
again. The most disturbing aspect was the manner in which it would  
distort itself, twisting into angles and positions neither Aoi nor  
Akunatsuka thought possible. Then, with another jerk, they could  
hear a cracking noise, and Usagi let out a scream.  
"Shit! Its breaking its own bones." Aoi cried out. Two  
more officers entered the room and kneeled beside Usagi. Akunatsuka  
had gripped the arm with both his hands and held it straight with  
all his strength. Usagi was kicking and bucking wildly. The  
convulsions now seemingly spreading through her shoulder into her  
upper body. Aoi stood back against the rear wall, disbelievingly  
shaking her head. What the hell else can go wrong now? It almost  
seemed as if the girl was trying to kill herself....  
  
Taeki and the RMO pushed their way through the crowd in the  
doorway. The RMO stared down at the three men trying to hold  
Usagi down. "What are you doing?"  
Akunatsuka looked up at him. "She's causing herself an  
injury. The convulsions are getting worse."  
"Is it epilepsy?" Taeki wondered aloud. Suddenly, Usagi  
thrashed with intensity not seen before. Akunatsuka was thrown back  
against the wall and it took the combined strength of the two other  
officers and Taeki to stop her flying across the room. Akunatsuka  
watched in a daze as the RMO tried to attend to her. Then he turned  
to where Aoi had been standing, and saw her slipping from the room,  
her face a mask of fear. Oh jeez, he thought, she's lost it. He  
got to his feet and pushed through the crowd just as the CO of the  
branch arrived at the scene, demanding to know what was going on.  
  
Akunatsuka ignored him and continued to push through the  
gathering crowd in the passage outside. He could see Aoi dashing  
along the passage and towards the front office. Once clear of the  
crowd he broke into a jog in the hope he could catch her. He hoped  
she wasn't going to do anything stupid.  
  
Back in the interview room, the RMO had managed to get as far  
as shining a torch into Usagi's eyes. "Definitely a seizure of some  
form. Her pupils are dilated, not registering the change in light  
at all." He turned as the CO entered the room. "I suggest we call  
an ambulance right away. At the rate this girl is thrashing about,  
she'll give herself a cardiac arrest."  
"Alright." The CO turned to the crowd in the doorway and  
waved generally, trying to look in charge. "Someone call the  
hospital. Get an ambulance here NOW. Tell them their missing body  
is thrashing about in one of our interview rooms."  
"SHIT!" The CO turned to see Taeki getting thrown back.  
Then the RMO went flying, crashing across the table.  
"LET ME GOOOO!" A voice resonated from Usagi's throat. She  
kicked the other two officers from her, both bowling over the CO.  
Then she jammed the fingers of her right hand into the floor.  
  
There was a flash of light.  
  
----o  
  
Akunatsuka saw Aoi pushing her way through the security doors  
and into the public area. He followed her, calling her name. She  
looked back, her face a mask of fear. She began to mouth something  
to him as she backed her way through the front doors. then she  
looked past him in shock. Akunatsuka could hear a rushing sound,  
then found himself flying towards Aoi, others flung with him.  
  
Pieces of glass, metal and concrete seemed to crash all around  
him as he landed some two hundred yards from the front of the  
station. There were screams and the sound of secondary explosions.  
He wondered why he was still alive.  
  
He lifted himself up and sat back, surveying the scene. There  
were people running in blind panic in all directions. He couldn't  
see Aoi at all. She had to have been thrown by the force of...  
Whatever it was that had thrown him. An explosion? He turned to  
look back at the station and his world fell away from underneath  
him.  
  
There was very little of the building left. What was left was  
well alight. People were staggering away from the ruin, their  
clothes alight. Without thinking, he pulled off his jacket and got  
to his feet, staggering over to one of the victims, throwing the  
jacket over him in an attempt to smother the flames. The man  
collapsed to the ground, sobbing in pain. Akunatsuka sat beside  
him, shock beginning to encroach on his senses....  
  
END OF PART FOUR  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Notes  
  
Heeheehee. Well, this is roughly half of the original fourth part.  
I'd intended for "The Bells of Erebus" to concentrate on Hotaru.  
Unfortunately, too many of other necessary plot threads were getting  
in the way. So you'll have to read the next chapter to see why  
Saturn was in the Eternal City. Then the true meaning of this  
chapter's title will become clear.  
  
I have been reminded that Jadeite is sitting around somewhere. I  
haven't forgotten him. He was going to appear in the second half  
of this chapter, but considering the second half of this chapter is  
now the next chapter, you'll just have to wait for him as well.  
  
In the next chapter, Setsuna tries her best to explain to a newly  
resurrected Usagi what is going on, and pays a visit to Jadeite,  
before being rudely interrupted by.... Usagi.  
  
Hotaru is tormented by visions of the Eternal City, and meets up  
with the City's janitor.... Usagi.  
  
Meanwhile, Ami is aimlessly wandering the streets, tormented by the  
guilt of what she and the others have done, only to bump into....  
Usagi.  
  
P.S. - RMO means Resident Medical Officer. CO means, naturally,  
Commanding Officer. Yes, I do watch Thames Television's "The Bill".  
  
Any comments, criticism and outright abuse should go to   
darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
The abuse shall be used in the next chapter of Sailor Python. ^_^  
  
DDFA 


	5. Part 5: Freedom of Thought and Movement

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 5  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
IRC: Mappy on DALnet's #AJAS  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so  
these characters really belong to them. I'm just abusing them in a  
manner most would describe as nothing short of scandalous. I hope  
nobody sues me for it. I owe too much to too many people to begin with.  
  
Part Five  
Freedom of Thought and Movement  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Aoi wondered why she was running. Her legs seemed to be  
moving all by themselves.  
She'd left the ruin of the station long back, yet there was a  
sense of urgency about her. She wasn't sure what it was. Just a  
voice at the back of her mind. And she believed that voice, or, at  
least, in the voice itself.  
  
Good, the voice said.  
  
"Where am I?" She said to herself. People stared at her as  
she ran past them, one almost about to answer her.  
Where I want to go, the voice answered. One I want to see  
shall be on our way. And if you don't hurry, you may just be  
targeted for death.  
"I don't want to die. Not like that."  
Nobody wants to die. In truth, nobody does. But the desire  
to swim is strong.  
"Swim? In what?"  
The ocean of the mind. It is a peaceful place, even when the  
waters are stormy. To float for all eternity in a bodiless paradise  
without personal needs....  
For some reason, Aoi could almost see herself floating.  
Waters bluer than she thought possible. There seemed to be no  
surface, no bottom. Figures, faces and possibilities flying past  
her in all directions. It fascinated her. She reached out and  
touched each of them. Her mind, what mind it was she had, was  
filled with the stories, thoughts and feelings behind them all.  
  
Her concentration was so focused upon this that she ran into a  
cafeteria's sandwich board. This brought the fantasy to a rapid end   
as she got to her feet and continued.  
  
----o  
  
The hospital shower room hadn't been used in quite a while.  
It was there for the benefit of the interns, but they rarely made  
use of it. It was too small and didn't have any of the modern  
conveniences, such as doors for privacy.  
  
Now it was being used as something of a storeroom. Racks of  
clothes blocked the doorway and the changeroom beyond. This, of  
course, never stopped the average person with transportation powers  
from getting in. Both Usagi and Setsuna appeared approximately one  
foot above the floor, and came down with a shudder that ran along  
their spines when they finally solidified.  
  
"Hyuk.... Nice one, Pluto." Usagi croaked, now wearing a  
labcoat Setsuna had found her before they left the morgue. Pluto  
nodded.  
"Not one of my best efforts, I must admit."  
"Didn't know you were capable of transporting yourself like  
that. Rather impressive."  
"How do you think I make my dramatic entrances?"  
"Hmm, I always thought it was pure accident, like the rest of  
us."  
"I never do anything by accident."  
  
"So where are we?" Usagi looked around the shower room with  
some distaste, screwing up her nose.  
"Somewhere you can get yourself cleaned without being  
interrupted." Usagi turned to her, raising an eyebrow. Setsuna   
sniffed. "Well, lets just say that it would be better if nobody   
within this hospital registered your presence. It may lead to some   
uncomfortable questions I'm very much afraid you won't be able to   
answer."  
  
"Ah yes, questions such as 'what am I doing in a hospital in  
the first place' come to mind." Usagi crossed her arms as Setsuna  
ummed and erred.  
"That'll take a while to explain, its better if you take a  
shower first." Setsuna shrugged. "Unless, of course, you rather  
like being covered in dried blood."  
Usagi screwed up her nose again. "Oh, thankyou for reminding  
me. Just whose blood is this anyway? Did I go psycho and tear a  
pack of monsters to pieces or something?"  
"Umm... No."  
Usagi stared at Setsuna for just under a minute. The older  
senshi had managed to maintain an unemotional expression through the  
non-verbal probing. Fortunate, really, that Usagi hadn't managed to  
keep it up. She was about to break underneath the wilting glare.  
  
Usagi placed the labcoat across the opening of one of the   
cubicles in an effort to maintain some semblance of privacy.   
Setsuna heard her sigh, then she peered from behind the coat.  
  
"Is there any soap around here?" Setsuna smiled and handed  
her a bar of soap she'd been holding behind her back. Usagi looked  
daggers at her. "Prepared for everything, aren't we?"  
"Indeed."  
  
Usagi disappeared behind the coat again and Setsuna could hear  
the spray of water as Usagi turned on the taps. "Well," said Usagi,  
"are you going to tell me about it, or are you going to be your  
usual enigmatic self."  
"I've never been enigmatic. I've always been as clear as I  
possibly can be around you." There was a snort of derision from  
behind the coat.  
"Yeah, right. I don't think I've ever got a straight line of  
conversation out of you since we first met. You're too busy being  
obscure."  
"I resent the implication that I play with peoples' minds to  
maintain my reputation for being a walking conundrum."  
"I never said anything about you playing with peoples' minds.  
You added that little gem yourself." Setsuna inwardly kicked  
herself. "Anyway, you've sidetracked me. Are you going to tell me  
what is going on, or shall I be forced to stand in this shower all  
day?"  
Setsuna shrugged. "What can I say? You were dead and I  
brought you back to life."  
Usagi was out of the shower and tangled up in the labcoat,  
staring Setsuna in the face, in a matter of seconds.  
"What the hell did you SAY? I was WHAT?"  
"You were dead. So I brought you back to life."  
"How? When? Where? Is everyone else okay? What the hell is  
going on?" Usagi looked flustered. Setsuna sighed and turned her  
round, pushing her back into the shower, replacing the coat across  
the entrance. "I take it you don't want to talk about it, then?"  
Usagi finally got out after a few moments silence.  
"Everyone else is okay, as far as I know. If anyone had died,  
I'd have been the first to know about it."  
"Unless you were the person in question."  
"I would have seen that coming."  
Usagi pondered that thought, and reminded herself of how  
little she truly knew about the elder senshi. "So where are they  
all now? And what about Mum and Dad, and Shingo. Well, maybe not  
Shingo...."  
"Your family were quite upset, I can assure you."  
"You mean they knew I was dead? Shit bugger damn. This is  
going to be hard to explain to them." Usagi put on a voice. "Sorry  
Mum, sorry Dad. I didn't mean to die. I won't do it again."  
  
There were a couple more moments of silence, when Usagi  
finally found enough voice to speak again. "How did I die?"  
"I killed you."  
Usagi was out of the shower again, lab coat once more twisted  
around her. "Wh wh wh wh wh what did you say?"  
"I said I killed you. Shot a beam of energy through you. You  
were dead in a matter of seconds."  
"Wh... Why? What for?"  
"Because everyone else wanted you dead."  
"Wh... Why? What for?"  
"Because they were frightened you might kill them."  
"Wh... Why? What for?"  
"Do you usually repeat your questions so obviously?"  
"Just give me a clear, concise answer, thirty words or less."  
  
Setsuna sighed and stepped back, turning away. "I shall try  
to explain this to you as clearly as possible...."  
"Oh yay, that'll be a start."  
Setsuna became angry and turned on Usagi. "Don't be cynical  
with me, little lady. You may be the direct soul-descendant of the  
Princess, but you are nowhere near to being her in all respects."   
Usagi took a couple of steps back, surprised by Setsuna's anger.   
"For quite a while, I've been wondering about your... capacity, so   
to speak, to inherit the mantle of the new Queen. So I set down to  
the other senshi the Rights of Succession, the rules governing who  
is to be the next Queen."  
  
Usagi pondered this as Setsuna paused for dramatic effect.  
  
"And they decided to have me shafted cos I wasn't doing a  
'good enough job' by your standards?" Usagi sounded as bitter as  
she looked. "Weren't you supposed to be my friends?"  
"Oh, I could have left it at that, have you step down to  
become a Miko rather than the next Queen. It would still have meant  
your first daughter would be next in line after the second   
candidate's reign had ended. The best path has always been the  
direct soul-line. However, the paths of the future showed...   
disturbing possibilities, that made that future less than optimal.   
I guess that future shall come to pass, now, one way or another."  
"What future is this?"  
Setsuna sighed. "Let me put it this way. My nervous system  
exists within the vortex of time, or is, at least, connected to that  
vortex in some manner. It means the very core of my being is locked  
into the myriad of possibilites that the future holds. They come to  
me in the form of visions. Not all of these visions come true, but  
the stronger they are, the more likely they are to occur."  
Usagi looked at her for a moment, and Setsuna saw in her eyes  
the distinctive sign of someone who was totally lost. Why couldn't  
this imbecile just work it out herself.  
  
"So you had one of your visions that something bad would  
happen if you simply asked me to step down."  
"Hallelujah. The girl has got it." Setsuna could have danced  
around the shower room at that moment. It was the first time in her  
memory that Usagi had vaguely understood her motives for something.  
"So why did all the others agree to having me killed? I mean,  
what could drive them to make a decision like that?"  
"Well, this is where it starts getting complicated...."  
  
Usagi's eyes glazed over, and Setsuna's heart sank.  
  
----o  
  
Hotaru stepped out into the dim sunshine, dressed in her usual  
black top and skirt. She stared up into the sky and imagined seeing  
something big and black up there. For some reason, the thought made  
her feel excited.  
  
Then she sat down on the front doorstep, holding her head in  
her hands. Great, another argument with her father. And she'd  
almost given everything away to him. She wondered if he already  
knew. He was like that. Sometimes he had the manipulative aspects  
of Setsuna. At other times he was ridiculously stupid. He hadn't  
even bothered to ask her why she wasn't at school today. Nor did he  
ask her why she'd gone to a wake on the same day the dead person in  
question had died.  
  
Maybe he already knew. From her words, maybe he'd already  
worked it out. She spent so much of her time wishing she had had a  
normal father, a normal life. These days she seemed to spend more  
time with Haruka and Michiru than she did with him. It made her so  
angry, sometimes. But she couldn't afford to be angry. Every time  
she expressed a strong emotion she'd pass out, have a seizure or  
throw up. She wasn't even allowed the pleasure of feeling strongly  
about something. The necessity for her passivity drove her stark  
staring mad.  
  
She'd vomited after the argument with her father just before.   
Dry retch, to be more or less correct, she hadn't eaten at the party   
last night (except for the beer, which she took a sip of and decided   
it tasted like coloured water. Well, those were Haruka's words).   
She wasn't in the kind of festive mood the others had been in. She   
couldn't understand why they had been. Ami and Setsuna seemed a   
little.... quiet, so to speak, but she just put that down to the   
fact that they'd always been. (Actually, Ami was the one who was   
quiet. Setsuna spent much of the time lecturing everyone about the   
laws of the Moon Kingdom and getting depressed). Haruka and Michiru   
were also somewhat distant. Again, she put that down to reputation.   
(In Haruka's case, she seemed to spend the entire night nervously   
trying to laugh things off. This seemed to work in tandem with   
Setsuna's depression. It was called alcohol.)  
  
"Ohayo, Hotaru-chan". Said the voice to her left. Hotaru  
turned to see Luna sitting there. She smiled.  
"Ohayo Luna."  
"You seem rather down. I hope you're not feeling too bad  
about things at the moment."  
Hotaru turned away, her expression dropping. "I've been  
thinking things over. I just don't know how to react in this  
kind of situation."  
Luna sighed and settled on the ground, looking up at Hotaru  
trying to voice her own concerns.  
"Hmm. You know, Hotaru-chan, we all have to stick together  
on this. If we let out to anyone about what we've done, the  
whole game will be given away. Not just the fact that we planned  
to have Usagi.... removed, so to speak. We'd be giving away our  
identities. I mean, YOUR identites as the sailorsenshi."  
"I realise that. I just can't believe we actually went  
through with this. It seems so.... Wrong... Out of place."  
"Not what we stand for, hmm?"  
"Exactly. I always thought we were better than our  
enemies, in some moral, philosophical manner."  
"We aren't really any better than anyone else. We're still  
slaves to our personal fears and demons. We just have a greater  
responsibility because of the powers we possess, especially you."  
Hotaru shook her head. "I don't really know if I want  
those responsibilities. And besides, haven't we already made a  
pretty bad choice?"  
"And then there was that party last night. Wasn't that just  
a little tacky, especially after convincing all of our relatives we  
were going there to comfort each other in our 'time of need'?"  
Luna looked down, not willing to answer. Hotaru sniffed  
and stood up, feeling dizzy for a few moments. Luna stood in  
concern.  
"Are you feeling alright, Hotaru-chan?"  
"Yeah yeah yeah. I'll be alright. I had an argument with  
father. I'm all worked up at the moment. Makes me dizzy when I  
get too excited about something."  
Hotaru started walking towards the footpath, then staggered  
slightly. She stopped and smiled back at Luna, giving her the V  
for victory sign. A large sweatdop appeared on Luna's forehead.  
  
"I'm going back to the shrine. I want to talk with Ami, if  
she's still there." Hotaru dashed away. Just at the last moment  
Luna realised how tall Hotaru actually looked. Almost as tall as  
Ami now.  
"Its not really fair, you know, making a girl like her deal  
with the kinds of things you're forcing her to."  
  
Luna jumped a spun as Professor Tomoe stepped through the  
now-open front doorway. An almost comical expression of dread  
crossed the cat's face.  
"P..P..Professor, how good it is to see you..." She  
managed to stumble out.  
"Indeed, Luna-neko-san. I wish it was of greater pleasure  
to see you here. Who killed Usagi, and why?"  
Luna felt a cold chill run down her spine. "Kill? Usagi?  
What makes you think I would know anything?"  
"You know everything the senshi are involved in. My child  
is one of the senshi. It would be most inadvisable to try to  
hide anything from me. If you're making Hotaru do anything that  
is likely to increase her state of unhealth, then may Kami-sama  
help you, because, senshi or no, he'll be the only one." The  
Professor stared down at Luna menacingly. She shivered and  
backed away, then ran for it. Leaving Professor Tomoe to rub the  
back of his head and wonder if he overstated his position.  
  
No, that wasn't it. When it came to Hotaru, he'd NEVER  
overstate his position. He'd protect her, with his life, even if  
it meant turning the both of them against the senshi.  
  
He turned round to step back in to the house, when he heard  
a vaguely familiar voice. "Ohayo, Tomoe-sensei."  
He turned to see Usagi standing before him, the sweetest  
smile he had ever seen her attempt on her face. He fainted clear  
away.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi sat on a bench, now wearing an yellow dress and blouse   
found in the collection of clothes on the various racks. Her mood  
did not reflect the gaudiness of the clothing.  
  
"How could they.... Why would they have...???"  
Setsuna stood beside the small window, trying to stare through  
the mottled translucence at whatever it was outside. She could see  
droplets of water falling. That was about all.  
  
"Why did you allow them to see this vision?"  
  
The water made some nice sounds as it hit the bottom of the  
window pane. Almost musical in a way.  
  
"Are you listening to me?"  
"I always liked rainy days."  
"Damn you! Why don't you take me more seriously?"  
"They're so much more calming than sunny days." Setsuna  
turned aside. "I've told you everything. Everything I know. Why  
they should have reacted like they did to something that was nothing  
more than a vision is a mystery to me."  
"This isn't some philosophical discussion we're having here on  
the nature of our existence. You KILLED me, Setsuna."  
"Indeed I did. And I could do it again, if enough people  
wanted me to."  
"You would, would you? Just kill me? Just like that?"  
"If it is deemed necessary."  
"What am I to you, then, anyway?"  
"The first candidate of the position of the new Queen. Also  
the direct soul-descendant of Princess Serenity."  
"And that is all?"  
"No, not really. You see, I brought you back, on my own, for  
a reason."  
"And that is?"  
"To kill yourself."  
"What?"  
"Well, not you, personally, but you. No, what I mean is, you  
are far more experienced with the application of your powers than  
the second candidate, Osaka Naru."  
  
Usagi shook her head. "I can't believe you chose Naru. The  
girl is a monster magnet, even worse than me."  
"We didn't choose Naru. She chose herself. Just walked in  
one day when we were discussing the matter."  
Usagi snorted derisively. "Yeah, right, great way to choose  
inheritors of a monarchical system."  
"She'd been given a vision. A vision of herself as a   
Princess. It is not something one should ignore at a time like  
that."  
  
Usagi laughed bitterly. "And she was my best friend."  
"One that you had grown away from."  
"We kept in touch."  
"When?"  
"Well, like... Ummm..."  
"Indeed." Setsuna turned back to the window.  
  
"Hey, just because I haven't seen her in a while...."  
"Best friend, hmmm?"  
"I mean..."  
"You feel you have the right to feel angry at her?"  
"She accepted my death like all the others."  
"Indeed, she did."  
"I'd known her LONGER than the rest of you, at least, I  
thought I did." Usagi looked unsure of herself.  
"The reason for that is plain and obvious. You were the  
first candidate and she was the second. The longer you retained  
Serenity's powers, the less she was required. As soon as your  
capacities were called into question, she began to return to the  
fold."  
  
Usagi felt tears coming to her eyes. Setsuna turned to her  
and looked down. "I'm sorry if this all seems harsh. If it makes  
you feel any better, I brought you back as I couldn't live with my  
actions. Yet, I had no choice in the matter. Once the decision  
had been made by the others, I have no will but to act out their  
desires."  
"I know... Now. But... Its just too cruel. Since when has  
this been the way of the Moon Kingdom? How often has it occurred?"  
"I can't remember now. I seem to feel it being the fifth such  
moment in our history. Not that you can define these moments as  
belonging to the history of the Moon Kingdom. What we are now is a  
totally different aspect, indeed."  
"It changes nothing."  
Setsuna nodded slightly, looking up at Usagi. The younger  
girl had tears running down her face as she stared aside at Setsuna.  
  
"There are other reasons you brought me back. To 'kill me',  
you said. What do you mean, suicide?"  
"No. To kill yourself. there is another version of you on  
the loose."  
"Another version of me?"  
"Hmm. One immeasurably more powerful than you have previously  
been. I wondered if, in some manner, your spirit was able to  
reincarnate itself, regenerating your bodily cells. Thats why I  
came to the hospital, to see if you were still here. I must admit  
to being a little surprised when I found your body untouched."  
"Then who the hell is this 'other' me?"  
"Oh, it is YOU, alright."  
"Eh? But I'm here. I'm here, now."  
"Yes, indeed you are. But you are also elsewhere."  
"I'm getting very confused."  
"So am I. The soul that inhabits your body is the same as the  
one that inhabits the other Usagi. There is a difference, though.  
The powers that are contained within her body are not simply those  
of Serenity." Setsuna rubbed her chin and looked thoughtful. "Ah,  
its all becoming clear to me now."  
"I wish it was becoming clear to me."  
"I knew he might make an appearance on the scene again. I  
wonder if he planned this from the beginning?"  
"Who?" Usagi stood. Setsuna was lost in thought for a few  
moments more, then looked back at Usagi.  
"I'm going visit an old acquaintance of yours. Meanwhile, I  
would make an attempt to leave this hospital immediately. Please be  
most circumspect about it. I'm quite sure everyone here knows who  
you are and what you look like now. It would be most unfortunate if  
you were to get involved with the law right at this moment."  
"Wait... Where am I going to..." Usagi stood and reached   
forward, but was too late. Setsuna faded rapidly away. Usagi was   
left standing alone in the middle of the shower-room.  
"What am I supposed to do now?" Usagi clenched her fists and  
stood on her toes, angrily. "Mooouuu.... Setsuna no BAKA!"  
  
----o  
  
Ami shuffled along the streets. She didn't know how far she'd  
gone. But she was a long way from the Shrine, and that was all that  
mattered to her.  
  
It didn't really seem to matter how far she went. A dark  
cloud was pursuing her, raining guilt upon her freely. The further  
she plodded, the more rain that fell.  
  
Then someone plowed into her, and she went sprawling across  
the ground. The small bag of clothes she'd been carrying fell  
some distance away as she quickly lifted herself up.  
  
"BAKA! What the HELL do you think your doing?" She noticed  
that the person who had run into her looked familiar. It was the  
woman who had questioned her at the scene of Usagi's death! "Ki...  
Kikotsuka-kyanchou?" The older woman sat up, her face a mask of  
surprise.  
"You! We must RUN. Get OUT of this CITY. Its HERE."  
"Wait a minute... Whats here? What are you talking about?  
Are you feeling alright?"  
Aoi looked at Ami for a few moments as the young girl moved  
to her. She appeared to be confused, trying to order her thoughts.  
"Mizuno... Ami?" She croaked.  
"Hai, ma'am." Ami helped Aoi to her feet.  
"What is happening? Where am I? how did I get here?"  
"You ran into me, ma'am."  
"I what? I did what?"  
"You ran into me. Neither of us would have been looking."  
Aoi shook her head, as if trying to clear it. Then she took  
Ami by the shoulders, staring at her beseechingly.  
"YOU must get out of this city. Your life is in danger."  
"What?" Ami was a little frightened by Aoi's earnest  
expression. The older woman gritted her teeth.  
"Your friend, Tsukino Usagi. She is NOT dead."  
"NANI?" Ami's jaw dropped.  
"She arrived at her parents' house this morning, whilst we  
were there. Only it wasn't her. Not the girl WE know... YOU know.  
She killed everyone at the station. I mean most of everyone. I  
could see it happening. I could see into her mind. She tried to  
do the same to me, but I resisted...."  
"Waitaminute, hold on here... You're trying to tell me that  
Usagi is alive, and some kind of monster?"  
"Yes. I think so. At least, that is what I felt. She wants  
to kill you. Kill us all. She has the power to do it now. There's  
nothing we can do about it. We've got to get away from this city."  
  
Visions of Usagi plunging her fingers into her chest and  
blowing it out struck Ami once more. If Usagi really WAS alive,  
and out for their blood, then they helped to make the vision come  
true.... Ami shook her head, her cool, calculating side coming to  
the fore.  
"Look, even if we were to run from this city, she'll come  
after us."  
"Easy for YOU to say. I wasn't involved in having her killed,  
SAILORMERCURY!" Ami looked surprised. Aoi just grinned, or at  
least grimaced. "Yes, I know who and what you are, and what you've  
done. Don't ask me HOW I know. There's this little birdy that  
keeps whispering things to me." Aoi spun a finger in the air and  
began to quiver uncontrollably.  
Ami shook the woman. "Get a hold of yourself." Aoi simply  
laughed bitterly.  
"Innocent little schoolgirls, eh? You're still capable of  
killing even your own kind. But then, you've had lots of practice  
at killing, haven't you? All those daimons, youmas, cardians.  
They were a form of sentient life, even if just servants. I bet  
you didn't even lose a moment's sleep over them...."  
  
Ami slapped the woman, gritting her teeth. Aoi took a few  
steps back, putting a hand to her face.  
"DON'T PRESUME TO UNDERSTAND US OR WHAT WE STAND FOR!" Ami  
took a few deep breaths. "Ultimately, in the end, everything we  
have done has been for the benefit of everyone. Even YOU."  
"I'm sorry..." Aoi whispered. "I didn't mean..."  
"Now listen to me." Ami continued. "Tell the others what  
you have told me. You know where most of them will be, at the  
Hikawa Shrine. I take it you know where that is?"  
Aoi nodded mutely.  
"Very well. Now, I shall check the hospital. If Usagi's  
body is gone, like you say, then I will believe you are telling  
the truth...."  
"It IS the truth. The entire station went up in a fireball.  
Even out here, you would have heard it go off."  
"Um... I was a little... distracted. Anyway, we don't have  
the time to waste. If she is after us, then we must hurry."  
Aoi nodded. Ami pointed back along the road. "That way.  
The shrine is in that direction."  
Aoi nodded again and took off, still holding her hand to her  
face. Ami swallowed for a moment and picked up her bag.  
"If you are alive, Usagi...." She muttered to herself. "You  
won't be taking me. Not that way. I won't let the vision come  
true." A grim expression crossed Ami's face. Then she took off,  
transforming into Sailormercury as she did so. It made the journey  
easier, bounding over buildings as she did so.  
  
----o  
  
Minako was starting to get worried. She'd searched the shrine  
grounds for ten minutes, but Ami was nowhere to be seen. By this  
time, both Rei and Makoto were awake, wondering what she was up to.  
They didn't seem to worried that Ami wasn't around until Minako  
voiced her fears about Ami losing her nerve. Rei appeared  
particularly concerned about it, flying into a verbal tirade that  
woke both Naru and Chibiusa. Minako decided at that point to leave  
in search for Ami. Anything was better than watching Rei go through  
one of her apaplectic seizures.  
  
Strange that Chibiusa should still have been Chibiusa and not  
Chibinaru. She thought that, what with Naru now being the   
Princess... Of course, it was just as likely that she would have  
been named Chibiusa anyway. Surely a time paradox was in the offing  
here. The girl's hair had transformed into brown curls as soon as  
Usagi had been dealt with.... Now they were pink again.... Maybe  
they were meant to be pink to begin with. No matter how much she  
tried to rationalise things, she had the sinking feeling that there  
was something VERY wrong about these turns of events.  
  
At first, she thought Ami might have sought solace in the  
comforting surroundings of school. Well, where else would Ami go?  
Home? Hardly likely. Despite the vast library that it contained,  
Ami's house was a cruelly cold place to live in. It would have  
driven Minako mad in the first five minutes had she been made to  
live there.  
  
However, none of the students Minako had spoken to had seen  
Ami at all. When they asked her why she thought Ami might have been  
at school the day after what had happened to Usagi, she merely said  
that Ami had gone missing, and might be in the mood to do something  
stupid. Before she knew what was happening, she had half the school  
emptied looking for Ami. Not the best of situations, but at least  
if she was wandering the streets, she'd be found.  
  
Shortly after leaving the school grounds, she heard what  
sounded like a distant explosion. Whatever it was upset all the  
animals in the district. Birds flew out of trees, dogs barked, the  
full gamut of emotions they usually went through when upset. A bit  
like how things were before and after an earth tremor. She even saw  
a column of smoke rising to the east. Maybe a terrorist attack by  
some loopy group like Aum Shin Rikyo or something like that. One of  
thses days, she thought, we'll have to sweep up dumb bastards like  
that. Unfortunately, there wasn't an acid bath big enough for them  
all.  
  
Chiding herself for her sudden turn of nastiness, she went to  
the library and looked for Ami there, only to find a dozen other  
students had already tried. She was now sitting on the steps,  
leaning her chin on her knees wondering what to do next, when Hotaru  
came running towards the front doors, passing her by, not seeing.  
  
"Hotaru-chan?" Minako stood and Hotaru turned.  
"Mina-chan? You've already looked here for her, I take it?"  
"Me and about half the school."  
Hotaru looked downcast. "Has anyone contacted her mother,   
yet? It might be an idea."  
"I'm not sure. I think some of the students went to the head  
office of the school." Minako cleared her throat. "I get the  
feeling that I may have started something here. It might not be for  
the best if we have so many people looking for her."  
"Why? She might do something stupid."  
"Thats what I'm afraid of." Minako stared off into space,  
then looked back at Hotaru when her line was followed by silence.  
The smaller girl (gee, she's not looking so small now, she thought)  
was staring at her quizzically. Minako grabbed Hotaru by the arm  
and dragged her away from the front stairs into a small garden  
section off to one side.  
  
"Wha.... What's this for?"  
"Look, I can't argue about this in a place like the front  
steps of the loacl library." Minako found her lips had suddenly  
gone dry. She was feeling very self-concious at the moment, looking  
about for anyone who might be watching.  
"You're worried she may give the game away, aren't you?"  
Minako turned to the girl, then nodded, silently. Hotaru  
let out a bitter laugh.  
"I was going to talk to her about this very subject. I'm not  
entirely feeling right about it myself."  
"Then I suggest you feel right about it VERY quickly."  
"Is that meant to be a threat?"  
Minako put up her hands placatingly. "Hotaru-chan, you know  
what will happen if all this gets out. We'll be in a right fix."  
"I know. And I don't like it. I don't have to like it. I'm  
not simply going to give away my allegiances to whomsoever may be  
in control simply because they have the 'senshi stamp of   
guarentee'."  
"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU VOICE YOUR OPINION.... Ahem... Why  
didn't you voice your opinion beforehand, when you had an  
opportunity."  
"Nobody ever explains anything to me. I just followed along  
with things cos thats always been my way. When I DID try to say  
something, everyone had already made their decision. You weren't  
listening to me. You NEVER listen to me."  
"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY? THAT WE WERE IGNORING YOU?"  
"YES, I AM TRYING TO SAY THAT. WHAT WE DID WAS WRONG, AND  
YOU'RE TRYING TO HUSH IT UP!"  
"DON'T JUDGE ME BY YOUR STANDARDS. EVEN IF YOU FELT THIS  
WAY YOU STILL DID NOTHING. NOTHING! YOU COULD HAVE STOPPED ALL  
OF THIS AND YET YOU DID NOTHING! YOU THINK ANYONE IS GOING TO  
STAND UP TO YOU WHEN YOU BECOME SATURN, EH? WELL DO YOU?"  
"A LOT OF EFFING GOOD BEING THAT HAS DONE ME! AT LEAST YOU  
GOT TO BE VENUS. TRY BEING IN MY SHOES FOR JUST ONE DAY! DEAL  
WITH THE PAINS AND THE ILLNESSES."  
"WE'RE NOT ARGUING ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOU STAND UP TO THE  
ROLE OF SATURN, THOUGH, ARE WE?"  
"WHY BRING IT UP THEN, EH? YOU'RE LIKE ALL THE OTHERS, YOU'RE  
SCARED OF ME. SCARED OF WHAT I MAY BECOME AND WHAT I MAY D...."  
Hotaru's face twisted and she gripped her throat. Minako was  
about to pound that face when it turned beetroot red. Hotaru began  
to cough and splutter, falling to her knees.  
"H..Hotaru-chan...." Minako reached out her hands as Hotaru  
fell back, unable to breathe. "Oh Kami-sama...." She quickly knelt  
beside Hotaru and took her head in one hand.  
"Come on, Hotaru-chan, relax yourself, take a slow breath,  
come on." Hotaru tried to, but found that difficult. She felt a  
pain building up in her chest and began to kick and buck, a cold  
sweat running across her forehead.  
"Oh shit, oh hell, oh damn..." Minako began to panic. "H...  
HELP, SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, HELP!!!" She cried out loud, sweating  
profusely as Hotaru began to fade. There was a voice behind her.  
"Mina-chan?" Minako turned and saw Luna and Artemis standing  
in the bushes. They stared as Hotaru stopped moving, her eyes  
glazing over and her pallour now becoming exceedingly pale.  
"Oh K... Kami... I think she's dying...." Minako was  
quivering now. "We got into an argument, and all of a sudden she  
started, like this, she...." Minako felt tears running from her   
eyes as the two cats slowly stepped to Hotaru's side. The girl  
was mouthing something. Luna leaned forward.  
"Its going to be alright, Hotaru, we'll get you help." Luna  
looked up at Minako. "Well WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" Minako felt  
the lash of Luna's tongue and was about to stand when Hotaru's  
voice could be heard.  
"..City...."  
"What is it, Hotaru-chan?" Both Luna and Artemis leaned up  
to her face. Hotaru pointed skywards.  
"The city... is trying to.... grab us..."  
Minako, Luna and Artemis looked upwards. To their horror, a  
large hole had appeared above them, tendrils of metal and concrete  
descending from it, reaching down towards them. Before they could  
do anything, the tendrils wrapped around their bodies and dragged  
all four, screaming, into the hole.  
  
Before the library's security guard had come to investigate  
what all the commotion had been behind the bushes, the hole sealed  
up, leaving the scene as quiet as if they'd never been there.  
  
END OF PART 5  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Notes  
  
This chapter simply keeps getting longer and longer. What started  
off as chapter 4 is stretching all the way into chapter 6. I can't  
even say what's going to happen in the next chapter, because I've  
already given a hint in the notes of the last one. Oh well, maybe  
it was a bit ambitious to think that these plot threads could be  
done with in a few short lines. ^_^  
  
Difficult chapter to write, this one. Especially trying to  
reconcile a lot of what has been going on with the first chapter,  
in itself totally underwritten to the point where it almost seems  
separate in some aspects to the way the story is falling into place,   
especially the party scene where I'd overplayed the senshi's joy at   
having Usagi done in. Of course, how much of that is real or not   
depends on how much of it was Usagi's twisted interpretation.  
  
One of these days I might get round to rewriting it so it slots  
more nicely into the narrative. As it is, I've got part 6 to get  
done. "God's Eternal Waiting Room", the next chapter in "Usagi is  
Dead".  
  
Any comments, criticism and outright abuse should go to   
darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
I really mean it when I say I'll use the abuse in the next chapter  
of Sailor Python.... The really good abuse, anyway. And if anyone  
writes "You're Mother was a Hamster and your Father smells of   
Elderberry", I'll give the rubber snake award for professional  
taunting. ^_^  
  
DDFA 


	6. Part 6: God's Eternal Waiting Room

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 6  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
IRC: Mappy on DALnet's #AJAS  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so  
these characters really belong to them. I'm just abusing them in a  
manner most would describe as nothing short of scandalous. I hope  
nobody sues me for it. Besides, this disclaimer is starting to   
look silly. :D~~~~~~~~O  
  
Part Six  
God's Eternal Waiting Room  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
It has been said that a city is a living thing. It has a  
physical form. It has biological processes that must be satisfied  
on a daily level. If anything goes wrong, then whole segments of  
its body can go into shock or temporary decay. It even has  
diseases that render whole parts of its body useless and lifeless.  
  
This entire idea of a city as an entity hadn't even entered  
Minako's mind, not even once (not that a lot ever did) when she  
fell into a specimen of the genuine article.  
  
She seemed to be falling from a great height towards what  
looked like a vast cityscape. Everywhere she looked, in every  
direction, it seemed to travel. On the horizons... not that she  
could call them horizons, merely points where the scape faded  
into a line of grey-white eternity, she could see the occasional  
dot of black. Below those dots, there were occasional flashes  
of colour. For some reason, she wasn't too enthused about seeing  
what produced those flashes up close.  
  
Although it was unlikely she ever would, considering the  
great speed at which the ground was approaching. She turned to  
her left. Artemis was following her down. He'd passed out long  
ago and was foaming at the mouth. To her right was Hotaru, who  
had seemingly recovered from her recent seizure and was holding  
the sides of her head with both her hands, an expression Minako  
had trouble reading on her face. Was it a smile of fear or sheer  
joy? Hotaru looked at her and gave it away. She was as good as  
doing her best to keep her bladder under control.  
  
Just past Hotaru was Luna, who seemed to be reciting some  
ancient prayer. Of course, Luna had been partly obscured by  
Hotaru, and Minako had only been able to see what she was doing  
as they passed by the upper mirrored windows of one of the taller  
skyscrapers. For a moment, Minako dared to look down. The ground  
was frighteningly close now. She reached over to Hotaru and took  
her by the hand.  
  
"Been nice knowing you, Hotaru-chan." She shouted.  
"You too." Hotaru replied.  
  
Then all four plowed through the top of one of the smaller  
high-rises.  
  
I was right, Minako thought, it does hurt like heck. Then  
darkness overcame her.  
  
----o  
  
Jadeite stood looking out of his loungeroom window at the  
figure watching him from the top of the neighbouring apartment  
block. He didn't recognise the girl.... Not the way she looked  
now. At first he thought she might have been another new member  
of the sailorsenshi. Who else may be watching him? She certainly  
resonated the kind of energy a sailorsenshi would give off. And  
yet, for some reason, she felt like something of a maverick....  
  
The girl disappeared fairly rapidly. Probably to avoid any  
further scrutiny on his part. He could use his powers to detect  
things about people as long as they were within the range of his  
vision, and he had a very long range. Yet she was able to avoid  
him with consumate ease.  
  
"Interesting viewing?"  
"Hmm. You could say that."  
Jadeite turned to Setsuna, smiling. "And to what may I  
thank this visit by the self-appointed champion of time?"  
  
----o  
  
Makoto sat, rather depressed, on the step outside the door  
to Rei's room at the shrine. Naru and Chibiusa were quietly  
munching on some cake, both a little rattled by Rei's recent  
show of emotion over the disappearance of Ami. Rei, for her own  
part, was pacing backwards and forwards in front of her room,  
containing a great load of her agitation.  
  
"Minako's not back yet." Makoto said, rather needlessly.  
  
"I can see that. It is pretty obvious." Rei said silkily,  
momentarily pausing in her wanderings to give Makoto a pained  
expression. "This could be REALLY bad. Hotaru-chan hasn't come  
back yet either."  
"One of us should have gone with her. I hate sitting around  
at times like this." Makoto stood up, punching a fist into her  
palm. Rei shrugged.  
"But you didn't, so shutup and sit down."  
"Oi!" Makoto took Rei by the shoudler. Rei shook her off.  
"Are you picking a fight?" Rei stared at her darkly. Makoto  
shook her head.  
"No, look." She pointed towards the gate. Puffing heavily,  
and looking frazzled and exhausted, was Aoi. She leaned against  
the side of the gateway, trying to keep her balance as she gulped  
great mouthfuls of air down into her lungs. "That's the woman who  
was heading up the investigation into Usagi's.... Um.... Death."  
"What the hell does SHE want?" Rei said, with concerned  
annoyance. Makoto shrugged and began to walk over to the woman.  
"Dunno, but we better find out, eh?"  
"I dunno if I want to find out." Rei shook her head. She  
felt strangely light-headed for some reason.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi watched as Professor Tomoe downed the glass of water,  
sitting on the other side of the kitchen table, her chin rested  
on her hands. He finished gulping it and slammed the glass down   
heavily.  
  
"Hoo, I needed that. My mouth went all dry just then."  
  
"Hmm. You aren't the first person who has fainted when I've  
made an appearance today." Usagi smiled sweetly.  
  
"Indeed. By all rights, you should be dead."  
  
Usagi sniffed and shrugged, seemingly bored now with the  
topic, she turned towards the kitchen window nearby and stared out  
for several moments, gathering her thoughts together. It seemed  
difficult now. Something had happened with her not so long ago and  
she wasn't sure what it was. Something really bad. Lots of people  
dying.... She imwardly shrugged as the voice in her mind changed.  
They probably all deserved it anyway. She turned back to Tomoe.  
  
"I listened to what you said... to Luna, about Hotaru-chan."  
"Hmm. Maybe I went a little bit overboard there."  
"Oh no, I think you put your position very succinctly." Usagi  
took the jug of water that was sitting on the table and poured  
herself a glass. "It was most socially inappropriate for those  
girls to have done what they did."  
  
"So you really WERE killed, after all." Tomoe seemed  
fascinated by the proposition.  
  
Usagi paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Well.... Killed  
is a very... uhhh.... Technical term. I wasn't dead in the terms  
of my ceasing to exist..." Usagi thought hard about this. "You  
know, its really difficult to say what actually happened to me."  
"You said something before about... your soul, for want of a  
better term, being thrown from your body at the moment that beam of  
energy struck you...." The Professor seemed more interested in the  
experience than the result.  
  
"Hmm, yes well, I must have been thrown a short distance from  
my body. What happened at that point, I don't know...."  
  
A frown came to Usagi's brow. She tried to remember the  
moment clearly. "I didn't see my body until well after the attack.  
Perhaps a good half a minute or so. The others were looking at me  
fairly strangely at that point.... Well, I guess even if you've  
planned something like this for a while, and prepared yourself for  
what is to come, its a shock to see someone you've called a friend  
in the past die in such a manner."  
  
"I'm still interested in knowing the TRUE motivation for  
what they've done."  
"You KNOW the true motivation, Tomoe-sensei. They wanted to  
rid themselves of me."  
"It just strikes me as too simplistic a reason."  
"Hmm, that maybe so. It doesn't change the fact that they did  
it. And they've involved your darling Hotaru-chan in it." Usagi  
took a swig from her glass and looked over at the Professor. He  
stared down at the table.  
"It'll kill her, Tsukino.... She won't be able to take this  
kind of guilt. And I KNOW she feels guilt. Her reaction this  
morning proved that."  
  
Usagi nodded. Hotaru always did have a tendency to keep  
herself distant from the decisions of the other senshi. Either  
going along with everyone else because she really didn't know (or  
care) about the motivations behind the other senshis' actions,  
or she simply didn't play a role in events at all. Right from the   
start, when Hotaru had started her regrowth, everyone had treated   
her with kid gloves. Even after the events with Galaxia.... Well,   
it had been such a tortuous beginning, from a psychological point of   
view. That she'd been able to endure everything relatively  
unscathed was nothing short of a miracle.  
  
Usagi felt annoyed for some reason. Was she starting to  
sympathise with the little bitch? Of all of the senshi, she was  
the most likely to stop her from claiming her revenge. She and  
Setsuna....  
  
Usagi felt a little twitch in her nose. Setsuna.... What is  
she doing now? Perhaps it might be time to give the older senshi  
a visit....  
  
Usagi stood, placing her glass aside. Professor Tomoe looked  
up at her. "What is it, Tsukino?"  
"I'm.... going to look for Hotaru-chan. I should be back  
shortly. The sooner we remove her from the influence of the others,  
the better, do you not agree?"  
"Uh.... Yes, I suppose."  
"Excuse me, Professor...." Usagi turned to leave, then felt a  
kind of presence nearby. A senshi's presence. It quickly vanished  
and she bit her lower lip. Tomoe watched her.  
  
"Is there anything wrong, Tsukino?"  
"No, everything's alright."  
  
Usagi stepped out of the kitchen, and the Professor waited for  
a few moments, until he heard the front door shut.  
  
"I think she sensed you for a moment."  
"I thought she might. It surprised me it took her that long."  
"She's not at her best, obviously."  
  
A red-haired girl appeared in the air, slowly descending to  
the floor. The girl was wearing a simple one-piece dress, patterned  
with a floral motif in soft pink. She wore her hair untied,  
although it was obvious to Tomoe that she wasn't used to it being  
this way.  
  
"You were right. The senshi were involved in her killing."  
"And she has returned. Also as we said she would."  
"Did she mean it when she said she would look for Hotaru?"  
"Doubtful. More likely the youma side of her personality is  
being cautious. She's most likely gone to check on Pluto." The  
girl's voice was incredibly soft. So soft he actually had trouble  
following what she was saying. She continued. "It would appear  
that something has happened to Hotaru. Even though she arrived at  
the shrine, Ami was not there. She then went in search for her at  
the local library, where, I'm lead to believe, Minako had also been  
searching." The girl looked aside. her face was mostly passive as  
she closed her eyes and concentrated on something. Then she opened  
her eyes again and turned back to Tomoe. "The both of them have  
gone missing. The girl, Mizuno, has been found. Two of us are in  
pursuit."  
"Do you know what might have happened to my Hotaru-chan."  
"Its possible that the Eternal City has come to claim her  
earlier than we'd anticipated."  
"No...."  
"In which case, it would have taken Minako as well. We must  
now hurry. With Saturn in its grip, things were bad enough, but  
add Venus to that equation...."  
Tomoe nodded. Despite his feelings for Hotaru, he knew that  
this 'Eternal City' was not likely to give up its quest for his  
daughter without being either destroyed or satiated in some way.  
  
"Then perhaps it is time to involve Pluto in our plan?" He  
said, finally. The girl blinked and shrugged.  
"She should know whats going on already."  
"As things are going, that may be a bit difficult for her.  
The paths to the future are being obscured."  
The girl smirked. "And its about to get worse."  
  
----o  
  
Setsuna sneezed for a moment and wondered if someone was   
talking about her. She tried to think who it may possibly be and   
reached out for the future, only to find it clouded. She continued   
her inspection of Jadeite's apartment. He watched as she wandered   
around, touching abjects. The stereo, the bookcase, the television,   
several ornamental items that ran along a small benchtop.  
"Hmm... A nice collection you have here." She said finally,  
pointing to some of the ornaments. "This one here, a fifth century  
sculpture from the Silver Millenium. Never thought I'd see one  
in as good a condition again."  
"What can I say? I like to remember the good old days."  
"Days you helped to bring down."  
"They'll return."  
"Will they?"  
"I'm quite sure you'll see to it."  
"If I could have seen to it, the Silver Millenium would never  
have ended. Not that way, anyway."  
"So what stopped you stepping in?"  
Setsuna shrugged. "I was on holiday. So sue me."  
Jadeite chuckled and stepped over to a drink cabinet. He took  
out two glasses and a bottle of scotch. "A drink, my dear?"  
Setsuna said nothing. Jadeite shrugged. "I'll take that as a yes."  
  
Setsuna watched him as he opened the top of the bottle and  
poured its contents into the two glasses. He took one and held it  
out to her. She took it and sniffed.  
  
"Johnnie Walker Red Label. It won't kill you." Jadeite  
smiled and sculled his, turning round and pouring another glass.  
Setsuna eventually sipped hers, allowing the burning fluid to  
run across her lips.  
"I'm more into liqueurs, myself. Frangelico or Kahlua." She  
sniffed. Jadeite chuckled.  
"Indeed, a woman of more refined tastes. Pity this poor, hard   
edged man's preferences." Jadeite walked over to one of the lounge   
chairs and sat down rather expansively. "Well, we didn't come here   
to talk antiques and alcohol."  
  
"Why did you create the Youma Usagi?"  
"Oh, that's what you're here for, is it?"  
"Indeed."  
"Well, she came to me first. Her spirit, anyway, and she  
wanted a body, so I gave her one." Jadeite chuckled. "You know,  
I was genuinely surprised with myself, actually helping her like  
that. Under normal circumstances, I probably would have told the  
little bitch to suffer." He shook his head and clicked his tongue.  
"Dear oh dear oh dear. We really created something of a mess for  
ourselves, haven't we?"  
"You realise what she is going to do, don't you?"  
"What, try to kill you? Yes, I was aware of that possibility,  
but in the end, you couldn't have been allowed to get away with the  
callous act of her murder."  
"You can call it murder if you like. It has always been that  
way. You can remember the history of the Kingdom, don't you?"  
"Oh, indeed, I remember it well. One of the reasons why it  
was so easy for Queen Beryl to get a hold of my mind." He stared  
at her bitterly. "You bloody hypocrites. I served the Kingdom  
because I believed in it, only to find the kind of politics and  
backstabbing that TRULY existed within the establishment. It was   
rotten to the core, utterly corrupted."  
"Is that what you remember?"  
"That is what I know."  
"And how much of that memory is corrupted by your service to  
Beryl?" Jadeite stared daggers at Setsuna.  
"Touche'. You were always the best in the debating teams."  
"It helps to know what your opponents are going to say."  
Setsuna shrugged. "So, are you going to show me the Spawning  
Machine?"  
"Nope."  
"No?"  
"Nope. Its buggered."  
"What? Did it explode?"  
"Very much so."  
"I guessed it would. Didn't think you could insert a spirit  
like Serenity's into a youma body and not end up with something  
going 'dokkan'."  
  
"Hmmm..... Serenity's spirit, you say?"  
"Indeed."  
"And what about the spirit of Tsukino Usagi?"  
"Are they mutually exclusive?"  
"I don't know. You tell me."  
"Why, what will you do with that information?"  
"What can be done with the information?"  
"Quite a bit, if you are intending to do something. Are you?"  
"I'm not sure. Would it be worth my time?"  
"It may be."  
"Then again, we could just verbally joust like this all day."  
"Thats true."  
  
The pair stared at each other for a long period of time, no  
expression crossing their faces. Jadeite shifted uncomfortably in  
his seat. Setsuna finally broke the silence.  
"Well, are you going to show me the wreckage, then?"  
"Of what?"  
"The Youma Spawning Machine."  
"Why should I?  
"Because I'm asking you to."  
"Make me."  
  
Pluto slammed her staff onto the ground, the tinkling of its  
rings burning into Jadeite's head. He threw his hands across his  
ears, trying to block out the sound, and pitched forward onto the  
floor. His drink spilled across the carpet as he thrashed.  
"Enough! Enough! I'll show you!"  
Setsuna smiled and slammed the staff again. the pain in his  
head immediately ceasing. He scowled at her.  
"Never ever say 'make me' in these kinds of situations. In  
terms of our powers, Jadeite, I have, and will always have, the  
upper hand."  
  
Jadeite turned to look at the mess on the carpet. "Ah, look  
at that. My housekeepr, Takeo-san, is going to have a fit."  
"Ignore it." Setsuna felt impatient.  
  
There was a knock on the door as Jadeite got to his feet.  
Setsuna turned to the door, then back to him.  
"Are we expecting visitors today?"  
"Obviously. Didn't you know? I thought you knew everything."  
"The I missed a detail."  
"Slipping up in your old age."  
  
Jadeite went to the door and turned back to Setsuna as she  
watched him, carefully.  
"I think you'll be a little surprised by this one, Pluto, my  
dear." He chuckled at Setsuna's frown and unlocked the door,  
opening it. "Ah, Kaiou-san, Tennou-kun. Irasshai. We have been  
waiting for you."  
"We?" Said Haruka. Jadeite stepped aside and gestured to  
Setsuna. The pair in the doorway stood with open mouths, staring  
at the mirrored expression on Setsuna's face.  
  
----o  
  
It didn't last very long, the darkness. The pain was a  
different thing altogether.  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
The garbled noise ran through her head. She tried to make  
sense of what was being said, but it was merely rubbish talk.  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
It was annoying. She sat up in her chair and realised she'd  
been drooling. She wiped her chin and rubbed her eyes. She ached  
all over, like she'd gone a few rounds with a steamroller in a  
boxing ring.  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
She looked around for the source of the voice. All she could  
see were the drab gray walls of a darkened office. No matter where   
the voice was coming from, it sounded like a chant. For some   
reason, when thinking of it like that, it seemed to make sense. She   
turned to one side and saw Hotaru sitting face-forward at another   
desk. It was then that she remembered what had happened. She had  
been falling.... Towards a huge city.  
  
"Ughn....." Hotaru stirred and looked up blearily. She, too,  
had been drooling, and wiped her chin.  
  
"Hotaru-chan...." Minako slowly stood and sat back down again  
after a dizzy spell. Hotaru watched her for a moment, then rubbed  
her arms.  
"Owie... I'm all sore." She began to stretch her limbs, then  
rubbed her face. "Where are we? What happened?"  
  
Minako didn't quite know how to answer that question. "Ask me  
that when my brain starts to function. Did you hear something just  
as you were coming round?"  
"Hmm... You mean a kind of chanting?"  
"Yeah, that."  
"I thought that was a dream. Ohhh, I feel sore all over."  
Slowly, Hotaru got to her feet and looked as if she was about to  
fall. Somehow, she stayed up. For a few moments she looked down  
at the desk, then at Minako, an strange expression on her face.  
"Mina-chan, can you stand up for a second?"  
Minako did so, almost pitching forward with a dizzy spell like  
the first time. Like Hotaru, she rode the spell out and stood tall.  
Hotaru was now standing beside her. Looking DOWN at her.  
  
"Umm, Hotaru-chan, I'd suggest you stop taking that growth  
hormone now. Its getting a little out of hand."  
"Look at me! Look at me! I'm taller than Mako-chan! And   
I've just discovered a fear of heights!" Hotaru teetered about  
on newly-long legs. "This is BAD. I've grown so quickly my legs  
haven't compensated with bulk. I might break the things just by  
walking...."  
  
Suddenly Hotaru spasmed, and there was a crunching sound. For  
a moment, Minako thought Hotaru's words had come true, especially  
when Hotaru followed up this sound with a chorus of "iiiitaaaaiiii".  
  
"Hotaru, are you okay?"  
"No, I'm not."  
"What happened?"  
"My body's muscle mass just compensated. Spontaneously."  
"Ouch."  
"Indeed. At least I can walk now."  
"But your bones might still be fragile. Who knows what  
happens to bone structure when one undergoes such rapid bodily  
development."  
"They become sore and brittle until you take in about a  
ton of calcium. Then they think of becoming useful." Hotaru  
sniffed. "Something I know well."  
  
A thought suddenly occurred to Minako.  
  
"Luna.... Artemis...."  
"Huh? oh yeah, they came with us, didn't they?"  
"Where the hell are they?"  
"Where the hell are we?"  
  
Minako shrugged and turned towards the windows of the office,  
peering between the mostly-shut Venetian blinds. "Can't see much  
out there. Looks like an alley between two buildings. We seem to  
be several storeys up."  
"Doesn't help one little bit." Hotaru turned to the far end  
of the office and pointed. "There's a couple of doors in that  
corner. They have to lead somewhere." Minako turned as Hotaru  
pranced over to the doors like a flamingo. She hasn't quite  
mastered the art of walking with those legs yet, thats for sure,  
Minako thought with some satisfaction. Satisfaction brought about  
by the fact that Hotaru was now on the list of all those she had to  
look up to. Minako was always very concious about her size.  
  
Hotaru opened up one of the doors and peered out. She then  
slammed it shut and leaned against it with her back, a comical  
expression of disbelief on her face.  
  
"What? What is it?" Minako frowned. Hotaru looked aside at  
the other door and wondered whether it was worth attempting. She  
steeled herself and opened up the door, peering through into the  
darkness beyond. A little sound came to her throat, and she  
slammed that door with equal vigour.  
  
"This is not looking good." Hotaru finally said.  
"Why? Whats out there?" Minako stepped around the desks and  
up to the first door. Hotaru gestured to Minako.  
"Be my guest to find out for yourself."  
Minako stared at Hotaru, then opened the door and peered out.  
The next room was a dingy waiting room, filled with people. No,  
scratch that, filled with twenty versions of the same person. All  
looking up at her from their magazines, books and whatever had been  
taking their attention before she made her presence known.  
  
USAGI.  
  
Minako slammed the door shut. For a moment she seemed  
flustered and speechless. She pointed to the door and made a few  
comical croaks. Hotaru simply nodded.  
"Wh... What the HELL is going on here?" She finally managed  
to get out. Hotaru shrugged.  
"Thats nothing, wait until you see whats in there." Hotaru  
pointed to the other door.  
"Do I really want to know?"  
"Well, I could tell you, but the impact won't quite be the  
same." Hotaru stood back and gave Minako plenty of room.  
Tentatively, Minako stepped up to the door. She placed her  
hand on the doorknob. She turned it. She slowly opened the door.  
She peered into the darkness. She saw lots of bodies lying on  
slabs. Scratch that. Lots of Usagi's bodies. She shut the door  
rapidly.  
  
"This is INSANE." Minako spluttered as she turned back to  
Hotaru. "What is this, some kind of guilt fantasy?"  
"I'm not sure, but did you manage to catch the name of the  
other side of the door leading to that 'waiting room'? 'Tomoe  
and Aino - Professional Usagi Exterminators'."  
Minako laughed in frustration. "Why am I second?"  
"Because you're shorter?"  
"Baka." Minako wandered around the room, putting her hands  
on her head. "I think I'm losing it."  
"Its all our fault. This was probably created because we  
argued over killing Usagi."  
"Oh, thats just great. What are we going to do?"  
"Kill all those Usagis out there. Thats what they're  
waiting for."  
"What makes you say that?"  
"Well, what else would they be waiting for? Dental  
appointments? We're supposed to be Usagi Extermination Specialists,  
something I think we've been excelling at, lately."  
"I don't want to argue about that, okay? Not here, not now."  
  
There was a shuffling sound, and a muffled voice. Minako and  
Hotaru stared at each other, then looked back at the desks. Slowly,  
they stepped over to the other side of the desks and opened the top  
drawers. Luna appeared from Hotaru's, Artemis from Minako's.  
  
"And about time, too!" Luna stretched, slowly climbing from  
the drawer. "How long were you going to leave me in there?"  
"I didn't know you were in there." Hotaru groaned. Luna  
sniffed contemptuously as Artemis stepped out of his drawer and  
kissed it.  
"Oh blessed ground, thou shall never again be forsaken." He  
sprawled across the desk and stretched. "Where are we?" he looked  
up at Minako.  
  
"Would you like the long version or the abridged version?"  
Minako said, cynically. Artemis looked quizzically at her. Luna  
sniffed contemptuously.  
"Try the abridged version. It usually works."  
"Okay. We're in the office of the Tomoe and Aino Usagi  
Extermination Agency, there are twenty plus Usagi's sitting outside  
that door waiting to be exterminated and an unknown number of dead  
Usagi bodies lying in a dark room through the other one. I don't  
know where this office is as I can't see anything but buildings  
outside the window, and no, I don't recognise them."  
  
Luna and Artemis stared at her. Minako and Hotaru sighed.  
This was going to be a very LONG day.  
  
----o  
  
There were police blocking the entrance to the morgue, even  
though there was nobody within. Nobody alive, anyway. It was not  
enough to stop a determined sailorsenshi, however, from poking her  
nose into its silence.  
  
She'd found her way to the morgue without any difficulty. The  
staff of the hospital seemed pretty distracted by something big  
happening in the outside world. There was a kind of a preparation  
for an emergency situation, and nobody seemed to bat an eyelid at  
a young woman, wearing a sailorfuku with ornamental attachments,  
walking into the front lobby of the hospital. All except a drunk  
who had been in for alcohol toxemia, and he thought he was having a  
dose of the DT's anyway.  
  
She wandered through the corridors of the hospital, finding  
fewer and fewer people as she went along. She thought that it was  
unusual... Although there were likely to be fewer people about  
the further one got from the public entrance, it seemed as if  
something had drained them away from their complacency. Whatever  
the emergency had been, she supposed.  
  
She'd reached the morgue entrance and soon wondered why she had   
taken the long route. It was near the rear entrance, with almost   
nobody hanging around except the security guard and the two officers   
guarding the morgue itself. The discreet doorway for the messy cases,   
Ami sniffed with distaste. Usagi would have found her way through   
that door only yesterday.  
  
Ami hid herself around the bend in the corridor that lead to  
the morgue entrance, and watched the officers standing bored. One  
tossed a now-empty coffee cup into the waste paper bin sitting  
nearby.  
  
It had been pathetically easy for her to distract the two.   
Throwing her voice was a trick she'd learnt in the recent past,   
mostly from Haruka. Haruka described it as one of her best party   
tricks. And, well, Ami felt so devoid of the usual offensive   
capacities the others had, anything would come in handy.  
  
Not that it had been too hard to freak the police out,  
imitating a ghost near the entrance to the morgue. They pricked  
up their ears as she began the heavy breathing and sobbing,  
following it up with a strangulated scream. They ran for it.  
Most unprofessional of them, Ami thought. For a moment, she  
wondered if the security guard was going to see what the commotion  
was. But he was asleep in the office by the entrance. She  
wondered if the windows to the office were soundproofed for him  
not to hear the two officers scampering away in fear like they  
did....  
  
She pitied the pair, not obviously used to the job of  
guarding a crime scene full of the dead. Even she wasn't too sure  
about walking in there, herself. She pushed herself along the  
wall in the short entrance corridor. A single fluorescent light  
cast an eerie glow across the room. There was a buzzing in the  
main room that sounded like fridge, a macabre thought considering it  
came from the 'cold store'. She ignored it, but still felt a sense  
of chill within the room, as if some angry spirit was going to  
punish her for violating this sacred place.  
  
She cast that thought from her mind and moved along towards  
the opening of the cold-room. Its plastic curtain that normally  
hung down the entrance was held aside by large clips. She could  
feel the coldness from within. She had trouble keeping her  
stomach in check as she creept into the raided tomb.  
  
The table sat where it had earlier in the day, a pool of  
coagulated blood sitting in its centre. So much so that it matched  
the death wound inflicted upon Usagi. Only, she wasn't there.  
  
Beside the table lay, where it had been dropped, the sheet  
that had covered Usagi. Ami studied it for a moment and took out  
her computer. After a few moments of button-pressing, she'd  
confirmed that the blood on both the table and the sheet were  
Usagi's.  
  
It almost looked like Usagi had simply got up and walked off.  
Ami shivered at the thought. Surely the powers that had been  
invested in her were not so powerful that they could defy death  
like this. Then again, they had once, after the battle with Beryl.  
She'd even brought them all back to life, more than once....  
  
Ami tried not to think of death, but it was difficult. There  
had been times in her life when she felt she would genuinely welcome  
its sweet release from all the loneliness she'd had to endure. When  
she HAD finally died, it had not been quite the end she'd expected  
it to be. Why, then, was she so concerned about it this time?  
  
Because, perhaps, this time might truly be The End. Not some  
stopgap to the next stage in her life.  
  
Ami heard noise coming from outside the entrance to the  
morgue, and panicked....  
  
----o  
  
Makoto sat, legs spreadeagled, arms flopped to the side,  
staring into space, against the wall.  
  
Rei did pretty much likewise against the side of her bed.  
  
Naru was curled up in one corner of the room.  
  
Only Chibiusa seemed mildly capable of saying anything, still  
sitting at the table. "What? So you're trying to tell us she's  
come back from the dead, and is real mad, or just plain loopy, or  
something like that?" Her bluntness stung the other three. Aoi  
sniffed, having thrown off her suit jacket, leaning tiredly over the  
other side of the table.  
  
"She killed a good two thirds of everyone who were in the  
station at the time. I don't know why, but I could see it  
happening. In my mind, so to speak. I was also capable of reading  
her mind...."  
  
"And thats how you know we were responsible for her death?"  
Rei said quietly. The three older girls seemed to be in something  
close to a state of shock. Aoi stared at Rei without feeling.  
"Yes." She said simply. "And about your 'other' identities.  
It most disappointed me, to see you involved in something like this.  
You'd, for so long, been thugging on people and groups who had given  
us sufficient headaches in our attempts to catch them. We were  
rather grateful when a gang of semi-competent vigilantes stepped on  
to the scene, even if you were young girls running around in short  
skirts. It had the lechers at the station going for a while..."  
She almost laughed at that point, then looked down. "Most of them  
are dead, now."  
  
"What should we do?" Naru asked softly. Aoi and Rei turned  
to her.  
"Isn't it obvious? We have to stop her before she kills us  
and half the city. In the state of mind Aoi tells us she's in,  
she could do anything." Rei rubbed a hand over her mouth. She  
hated messy things like this.  
"That means we'll have to kill her again, doesn't it?"  
"Yes, that's a possibility." Aoi replied to Naru's question.  
"I don't know if I can handle that. Not going through that  
again. It was bad enough to see her die the first time." Naru  
shivered and curled up even tighter.  
"I agree. I don't want to do that again. I can't do that  
again. And all I did was lead her to her death...." Makoto's  
face began to quiver. "I don't want to kill her. But I don't  
want to die. Oh shit, I hate this." Tears started running from  
Makoto's eyes, and Rei turned on her angrily.  
"Don't start with the waterworks now. You're the one who  
called her a useless moron last night."  
"I was DRUNK. I said things I shouldn't have...."  
"They were what you wanted to say, deep down." Aoi turned  
to Makoto, and the tall girl looked at her. Aoi was smiling.  
Makoto felt like wiping that smile from her face with a fist.  
  
There was a polite tap at the doorframe, and they all turned.  
Mamoru was standing in the doorway, a blank expression on his face.  
  
"It seems rather noisy in here, does it not?" His voice was  
an almost unnatural sing-song, and Aoi's expression went dark. Rei  
stood and walked over to him, gesturing for him to come in.  
"We have something rather important to tell you, Mamo-chan.  
I'm afraid its not good news." Mamoru stepped in and looked at the  
expressions on everyone's faces, then zeroed in on Aoi.  
"Who's this?" He asked. Aoi stood as Rei gestured to her.  
"This is Captain Kikotsuka Aoi, the woman who was assigned to  
head up the investigation team into Usagi's death."  
"Ah, I see." Mamoru said flatly. "Well, its a shame we meet  
under such unpleasant circumstances." Mamoru held out his hand.  
Aoi looked at it for several moments, then, smiling very slightly,  
she took Mamoru's hand.  
  
There was an explosion of great dimension. The entire Hikawa  
shrine was enveloped in an iridescent pink ball of flame.  
  
----o  
  
Orderlies began to wheel in body after body into the morgue.  
Rikai, the DCI for the neighbouring police district, stood and  
watched as the bodies of his colleagues filled up the otherwise tiny  
room. Many of them were so mangled as to be beyond recognition.  
It had taken an awfully long time to collect this many bodies from  
the scene of the devastation at the local Police HQ. A terrorist  
attack, some were calling it, by a young blond chick named Tsukino  
Usagi, who just so happened to be the same girl who'd gone missing  
from the morgue only half an hour before.  
  
Yes, a very interesting case. He hoped nobody put him on it.  
He had enough problems with his marriage already.  
  
The two officers that had been assigned to watch over the  
morgue were standing behinf him, rather sheepishly. He'd bawled  
them out about their pathetic superstitions as the bodies began  
their production line inside. The sight was more than enough for  
the pair, so he'd decided to go easy on them.  
  
It took a good half an hour to finish piling all the bodies  
in. And pile was literally something they had to do, as all the  
freezing cabinets were full. Many ended up in the coldroom beyond.  
It was going to be a big night for the coroner, thought Rikai.  
  
"Hey, who forgot to take the clothes off this one?" Said one  
of the orderlies, pointing to a body lying in one of the freezers.  
His senior, an young intern, snapped at him.  
"If there is a body in there, then leave it alone. Don't ask  
me why they left the clothes on. Modesty, perhaps. We don't have  
the time to worry about that kind of crap now, not with what's going  
on out the front." He gestured to his charges to move out. The  
oderly standing behind the freezer with the clothed body shook his  
head and pushed the tray in, half closing the door before running  
around the trays of bodies and out of the room. Rikai stopped the  
intern as he made his way out.  
  
"How long will it be before you manage to get anything done  
with this lot? I mean, you can't just leave them in here like   
this." The intern sniffed.  
"The room will be sufficiently cool enough to keep them all  
fresh for you guys. We have people checking out the other nearby  
hospitals in the hope we find somewhere to take up the numbers.  
Right now, we have the living to worry about, and there are enough   
of them to make it easy to forget about this lot." The intern  
pointed to the bodies and walked on. Rikai sighed and stared at  
the forest of corpses, rubbing a hand over his eyes. he was  
getting too old for this.  
  
Rikai snapped his fingers at the two officers.  
"Stay. And this time, do your job properly." They saluted  
and he walked off.  
  
It was only two minutes later that they heard the noise again.  
The soft, sobbing moans of a young woman. They turned to the morgue  
and watched in horrified fascination as one of the freezer doors  
swung open. Slowly, the tray began to slide out, revealing the body  
of the girl. She sat up stiffly, and turned to them in a zombie-  
like fashion.  
  
They scarpered.  
  
Ami got down from the shelf, shivering. She hadn't realised  
how cold the freezers actually were, even with the door partially  
open. It wasn't the best idea she'd had to hide, but she really  
couldn't think up anything better at the time. What made it even  
worse is that she had to detransform fro Mercury to achieve this  
task. She could, at least, have gotten away with things if she  
had her normal clothes on. Her senshi fuku, however, was a  
different story.  
  
She made a short, sharp transformation back into Mercury and  
began to weave her way through the bodies.  
  
Something grabbed her arm. She turned. One of the bodies  
was sitting up. Its charred flesh holding her arm tightly....  
"Help.... Me...." It croaked as it leaned forward. Ami,  
to her horror, found that the person was not, in fact, dead. "H...  
Help me...." It continued to croak. Ami pulled her hand away as  
the body began to fall back, crashing against the tray and sliding  
off. Ami stared at the victim in horrified fascination as he  
clambered weakly on the floor, then went still. Ami looked around  
at the multitude of bodies.... They were all speaking, now, as if  
alive. They were all reaching out for her... Wanting her to join  
them... Knowing that she would join them. Her life smashed like  
an insect in Usagi's twisted fury. Ami shook her head, madly. No,  
she didn't want to die. Not like that, she didn't want to die. She  
put a hand to her chest... The chest Usagi would blow clean out  
with her power. She shook her head wildly and turned, madly  
scampering past bodies, banging into trays. Tears of fear and  
madness flying from her eyes as she skidded into the outside  
corridor, banging hard against the opposite wall. She made for the  
rear exit, running past the newly-asleep security guard, and fled  
the confines of the hospital.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi had been quite happy to use the clothing stored in the  
shower-room, until she discovered that each item had a name tag  
attached to it. A name tag with a deceased tag on it. The clothes  
belonged to those who had died.  
  
Overcoming her initial distaste, Usagi had done her best to  
disguise herself, allowing her hair to fall back naturally rather  
that have it tied up like she normally would, she put on a jacket,  
dark glasses and a large, wide-brimmed hat. Upon the first  
inspection in the mirror, she decided that she looked like someone  
trying to conceal their identity. She really didn't know what else  
to do so stepped out as is.  
  
It had been a short walk from the changing room to the front  
lobby. She'd managed to get through as best as she could, and  
felt fortunate that something major was going on, so that most were  
distratced anyway. That was, until she started passing through the  
groups of patients in the lobby. She felt a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Hoi, you." Said a voice she didn't recognise. She turned  
aside to the large man, his other arm tied up in a sling. "Y...  
YOU!" He said loudly, gathering the attention of everyone in the  
lobby.  
  
"Me?" Usagi croaked.  
"You!" He replied.  
"What about me?" She continued to croak."  
"Tsukino Usagi, you BITCH!" He tried to take her by the arm,  
but she dodged him and made for the front doors.  
  
"STOP HER! THAT'S THE GIRL! THE ONE WHO CAUSED THIS!" The  
man continued shouting. Several guards and police blocked Usagi's   
path before she got to the doors. Suddenly she stopped and pointed  
outside.  
"LOOK! IT'S HAYASHIBARA MEGUMI, DOING A STRIP!" She shouted.  
The guards and police spun around.  
"Where? Where?" Said one.  
"I don't see her." Said another.  
  
In the meantime, much to the frustration of Akunatsuka, Usagi  
slipped between two guards and made her way out of the building  
grounds.  
  
"Ano BAKA!" He said, putting his solely useful hand to his  
face. It had been a pretty bad day all round for him. He still  
hadn't been able to find Kikotsuka, and now THIS. He watched  
mutely as the guards took off after Usagi, but it was too late. She  
was quick on her feet for someone who was supposed to be dead, he  
thought.  
  
Another pair of maddened eyes were watching this scene from  
the top of the hospital. She quickly went in pursuit of Usagi.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi must have run some good distance, because, despite its  
height, she couldn't see the hospital when she stopped. She had  
found a small garden area in which to hide as she heard sirens  
emanating from the hospital. This was NOT looking good, she  
thought. Setsuna had given her NO plan of action per how to get  
out of hospital, and what to do once she did. She leaned against a  
tree as a police van went flying past the garden.  
  
It was her biggest mistake. She hadn't noticed the figure  
crawling through the canopy of the trees above her. The girl landed  
on top of her, knocking her to the ground. Automatically, Usagi  
gripped the figure and pitched her forward. The girl came crashing  
down on her back but was fairly quickly on all fours, gritting her  
teeth, muderous intent in her eyes.  
  
"A.... Ami-chan?" Usagi croaked.  
"Bitch! I'll kill you for what you did!"  
"What..."  
"All those people at the police station. All those innocent  
people... I'll never forgive you." Ami charged forward. Usagi  
managed to step aside at the last moment and trip up the blue-haired  
girl. She fell face-forward, but was again to her feet rapidly.  
She was almost salivating with mad anger. By the expression on her  
face, Usagi could see that Ami was not going to listen to any  
protestations. Usagi couldn't understand why she was being blamed  
for something that happened at a police station....  
  
That man, to one who tried to grab her. He knew her by sight.  
And the emergency that was going on at the hospital.... What  
happened at this station.... whatever it was, she was sure she  
didn't want to know. She felt it may be wise to transform herself  
into Sailormoon. That was, she'd at least be able to withstand  
Ami's attacks, and get to the bottom of this problem.  
  
Only it didn't happen. She'd said the transformation speech  
and nothing happened. Even without the avatar of one of the items  
she used, she was still capable of transforming when she felt the  
need to do so.... So why not now?  
  
She didn't have time to ponder this situation. Mercury  
charged her, swinging an arm that collected her throat. Usagi let  
out a short cry as Mercury dragged and drove her into a tree.  
Usagi fell face-forward, disoriented. Mercury spun and lifted a  
speared hand above Usagi's back. She drove the hand forward, but  
Usagi dodged it in time, running aimlessly away as Ami struggled  
to pull her hand from the ground, jammed in a good foot or so.  
  
Usagi jumped from the retaining wall of the park onto the  
footpath and made a break for it. All things considered, she  
thought, she had been VERY lucky to get this far.  
  
----o  
  
"How COULD you associate yourselves with this man?" Setsuna  
shook her head in disbelief and Haruka snorted with contempt.  
"We do what we like, Setsuna. we don't have to live by the  
moral guidelines that you set up for us." Haruka looked like she  
was ready to deck Setsuna, even though she understood why she was  
so angry. Michiru held Haruka's arm, trying to keep her under  
control. Jadeite watched the proceedings with some mild amusement.  
  
"This man used to be our ENEMY. We're not sure if we can  
trust him now, especially after what he has done."  
"How were WE supposed to know he would use the Youma Spawning  
Machine to create a new Usagi, utilising her spirit. I mean, is  
that even possible?" Haruka turned to Jadeite. "I know our spirits  
are strong, but still, once we're dead, we have barely enough energy  
to affect the events of this world, let alone run around like you  
said she was supposed to have."  
  
Jadeite shrugged. "I can't say no when a young girl's spirit  
asks me to help her. I am a chivalrous individual, despite what you  
think of me. I had a method of giving her a body, and so she  
received one."  
  
"Yes, but with the Youma Spawning Machine? Who knows what  
you'd get combining her spirit with the kind of spiritual influence  
one had with a Youma's body."  
  
Setsuna shook her head. "Still doesn't answer the question of  
why the pair of you were associating with this man."  
  
It was Michiru who answered. "We thought it best to make  
connections with individuals who had the power and capacity to be  
good sources of information in reference to any attacks upon our  
good selves. Is there anything wrong with that"  
  
"No, but... Jadeite? Why Jadeite? Why HIM of all people."  
"Technically, you can say that I came to them, not the other  
way around." Jadeite shrugged. "I felt some need to help you in  
your great cause. After all, I used to be a member of the Kingdom,  
regardless of how our time ended."  
  
Setsuna stared at him, a blank expression on her face. "So  
what? You expect us to take you back into the fold, just like  
that?"  
"Hmmm.... Maybe." he shrugged. Setsuna was about to bawl  
him out when the door to his apartment was blown in. They all   
held their arms across their eyes as dust and splinters flew in  
their direction. They could hear coughing from the doorway and  
turned to see a familiar figure standing there.  
  
"Aww jeez, so much for the dramatic entrance." Usagi said  
as she stepped in. "Hi Setsuna, Haruka, Michiru." She waved to  
them, smiling sweetly. "I see you're popular with the opposite  
sex here, Jade-chan."  
  
Jadeite smiled. "Well, you could say that."  
"Mind if I join you? I have this real itch to start killing  
some of them." She didn't stop smiling. It was the most macabre  
smile Setsuna had ever seen. Jadeite chuckled.  
  
"Well, maybe not in here, Usagi-chan. Follow my spiritual  
signal and I'll find a place where we can all get nicely acquainted,  
okay?"  
"Okay." Usagi put her hands nehind her back and watched as  
Jadeite began an incantation. Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru had been  
too distracted by Usagi's arrival to notice what her was doing. By  
the time Setsuna registered, it was too late.  
  
"Wait, Jadeite.... Don't...." All four of them disappeared  
from the apartment. Usagi watched them go, her smile not fading  
from her lips.  
"He's such a considerate man." She said. She looked back at  
the doorway. "Must fix his door for him. Don't want anyone  
stealing his belongings."  
The door reformed back into a closed position. Usagi lifted  
up her arms and stretched. "Ah, it feels so good to finally give  
these powers a real run." Up until now, Usagi felt like a Porsche  
keeping to the speed limit. Oh well, time to let rip.  
  
She vanished, making chase of the foursome.  
  
----o  
  
The other Usagi was out of breath as she reached a park by a   
canal. After a cursory look back she stopped and leaned against a   
tree, puffing heavily, holding her chest with her other hand. She   
hated anything that required even the smallest modicum of strenuous  
physical activity, as it was usually painful to recover from. It  
was for her, anyway, and she was only into things that involved  
purely hedonistic activities. She felt hungry.  
  
Why didn't I transform? She pondered over this sudden turn  
of events. I have my power, she thought, resurrecting Setsuna  
proved that, and yet I wasn't able to transform...  
  
Maybe the loss of the Ginzuisho, whatever had happened to it,  
has caused some latent effect....  
  
She didn't have time to think about it as Mercury came  
hurtling into her from nowhere. Usagi was sent flying into the  
canal, landing in the muddy water face-forward. Even as she got to  
her hands and knees, Mercury was there, kicking her in the side of  
the head. Usagi was thrown against the sloped side of the canal,  
flat on her back. She felt bones shattering in her arms, legs and  
ribcage as Mercury leapt from the water, landing on top of her. The  
look of pain and fear on Usagi's face as she grabbed her by the  
collar made her pause for a moment.  
  
A... Ami-chan..." Usagi choked as tears trickled from her  
eyes. "Doushite?"  
"You... I won't let you kill me that way. BITCH!" Ami's  
face hardened as she struck Usagi across the chin with the full  
force of her right hand. Usagi flew out of the canal and was  
buried into the facade of the nearest apartment block. Usagi  
slowly peeled out of the indentation and fell to the ground,  
groaning and bleeding profusely. Mercury's few short, vicious  
attacks rendering her totally helpless.  
  
She felt herself being grabbed and thrown onto her back,  
Mercury haunched over her, holding her by the throat.  
"You HAVE to die. If I don't kill you, you'll kill us all.  
I don't think this... I KNOW this. I know this to be true." Her  
grip on Usagi's throat increased, and Usagi felt her throat being  
crushed. She tried to reach up to fight against Mercury's maddened  
throttling, but found her arms refusing to do as she bidded.  
  
Mercury squeezed, tighter and tighter, easily shaking off the  
efforts of Usagi to buck and kick her way out of the situation. She  
drooled and sweated madly as Usagi began to fade.  
  
"You're finished, Usagi! Finished!" She croaked out as  
Usagi's eyes glazed over. Then she went still.  
  
Ami stood up, breathing heavily. She stared at her handiwork.  
The a slightly manic smile came to her face. "I... I did it! All  
on my own! I killed Usagi!" Mercury began to laugh insanely, and  
ran from the scene.  
  
"I don't have to die! I won't have to die after all!" She  
disappeared over the nearest buildings.  
  
Usagi's body lay for a couple of minutes, still bleeding even  
though her heart had stopped. Two figures jumped from the top of  
the apartment block and stood beside her, staring at her without  
emotion.  
  
"We might have stopped her." Said the green-haired one. Her  
blue-haired partner shrugged.  
"Not our job to police the personal ineptitude of the inner  
circle." She said in her mousy tone. She sniffed and pointed to  
the body. "Shall we take this piece of meat to Pluto. I'm sure  
she'd be thrilled to see it."  
"I'm not having her bleed on me."  
"Have it your own way." The blue-haired one stepped around  
Usagi and lifted her up underneath the arms. "WANDERING MIND  
TRANSPORTATION!" She said, and flashed out of existence, taking  
Usagi's body with her.  
  
The green-haired one turned back to where Mercury disappeared.  
She shook her head. "Guess I'll just have to work on Mercury,  
then." She sniffed with contempt. Inner senshi, you just can't  
rely on them.  
  
END OF PART 6  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Notes  
  
Well, thats the real part 4 now finished. Everything I wanted to do  
with that chapter is now down and written. Next, in chapter 7, you  
shall get the opening stanza of the original chapter 5. This is all  
very confusing, I'm sure, but it shall all make sense in the end, I  
promise you. I think.  
  
In the next chapter, Usagi lets fly, taking on three outer senshi.  
Meanwhile, Aoi, Rei, Makoto, Naru and Chibiusa must fight a being  
that is not quite who they expected it to be. And Minako and Hotaru  
start killing some Usagis.... In a purely businesslike manner, of  
course.  
  
Any comments, criticism and outright abuse should go to   
darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
I haven't received any abuse yet. With any luck, I won't. Now I've  
laid down the challenge, I'll probably get monster laods of it,   
especially from all the Ami fans out there. ^_^  
  
DDFA 


	7. Part 7: Gross Domestic Product

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 7  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
IRC: Mappy on DALnet's #AJAS  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so  
these characters really belong to them. I'm just abusing them in a  
manner most would describe as nothing short of scandalous. I hope  
nobody sues me for it. Besides, this disclaimer is starting to look   
silly. :D~~~~~~~~O (Even sillier with little additions like that).  
  
Part Seven  
Gross Domestic Product  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Usagi opened her eyes and stared into the darkness. She   
wondered where she was. There wasn't likely to be an answer.  
  
Floating, she thought, in nothingness. For some reason, she   
felt this to be her second such experience in a very short space of   
time.  
  
Then everything turned blue. A deep, aquatic blue. It wasn't  
water she was floating in.... It felt, smelt and tasted like   
herself. Or at least was an avatar to her inner self. She looked   
at what she thought to be up and saw light, without any obvious   
source. She looked down and saw darkness. Both felt inviting right   
now. she was torn with indecision.  
  
"It is interesting, is it not, that a young woman named after   
a sea on the moon should never have visited such a place as this."   
The voice seemed to have no origin, but Usagi was sure she'd heard   
it before. Where? Where?  
"I felt no need to come to this place, not that I know where   
it is." She replied, perhaps a little too arrogantly.  
The voice answered mockingly. "Yes, you were never one for   
the more cerebral concepts. Perhaps you'd like the opportunity to   
make a start?"  
"Naiad Keth Drutein..." Usagi finally got out. "That is who   
you are.... The last of the third refrain of the Kingdom's Miko   
circle."  
"At least there is nothing wrong with your memory. Its   
amazing at what a little tweaking shall do to the inner heart."  
  
Usagi raised a figurative eyebrow at this suggestion.  
  
"Are you saying you are manipulating with my mind?"  
  
"Princess..." The voice of Naiad said the title more like an  
insult than a term of affection. "You really don't know how long   
I've been playing with your mind, do you?"  
  
Before Usagi could answer that, a vision floated into her at   
great speed, swallowing her up. She found herself standing in a   
dark place. There were gentle sobs in the background. A cavern, or   
what looked like a cavern. She turned and looked around. Its high   
stone walls were covered in trickling water. The air was damp and   
dank.   
  
She turned to the sobbing and saw a figure, chained and bound   
to the wall. There were strange wards and chains hung limply around   
the person. Usagi took a few steps forward and noticed that the   
flesh was badly scarred on the exposed parts of her body. It was a   
she.... Usagi could at least see breasts. The girl's sobbing   
melded into a kind of soft, inane giggling. She looked up. Not at   
Usagi, although it was doubtful whether she would have seen her had   
she actually been there. Her gaze was blind, the eyes as damaged as   
the flesh.  
  
All Usagi recognised was the hair.... Long black hair. A  
terrible realisation came to her at that moment. "Rei-chan...."   
She mumbled. The figure almost seemed to notice the sound and   
listened intently. Of course, Usagi thought, Rei had spiritual   
powers other than that as a senshi.  
  
Usagi placed her hands on either side of Rei's head, ignoring   
the frightened and frightening expression on the other girl's face.   
Usagi looked into her mind.  
"GET OUT!" It was Rei's voice. "GET OUT YOU BITCH! LEAVE ME   
TO SUFFER! I WON'T GIVE IN TO THE LIKES OF YOU."  
  
Usagi snatched her hands away. Rei was struggling with her  
chains, snarling and drooling, snapping at the air like a wild dog.   
For a few moments Usagi felt compelled to try again, when the door   
at the far end of the cavern opened. Usagi turned as Rei went   
still. A lone figure walked into the darkness, a smile on his face.   
Jadeite. He stepped slowly over to Rei and knelt down beside her,   
touching her disfigured face.  
  
"I heard you getting angry. Is there something you wish for,   
my love?" Rei's face turned to him and rubbed against his hand,   
almost cooing with pleasure.  
  
Usagi turned away. This was where this Rei wanted to be. She  
shook her head sadly as the vision evaporated around her, returning  
to the state of eternal blue.  
"Why did she reject me that way? My only thought was to help   
her."  
  
There was no answer. Usagi went quiet and listened. There   
was no sound, bar a gentle hush. Usagi closed her eyes and waited   
for Naiad to speak.  
"Strange that that should have been the first vision you'd  
experience. Why Rei? Why have you always been so much closer to   
her than the others?" Naiad's voice was questioning. Genuinely   
questioning. Usagi gave a shrug and turned towards the darkness,  
opening her eyes. It was looking damned inviting now.  
  
"That was a vision of destiny, was it not?"  
"It may have been. Maybe the influence of my being so close   
to you." Usagi closed her eyes and felt herself being carried in a   
tidal flow.  
"It seems a sad destiny."  
"For someone who used their powers to keep Setsuna's mind on   
the task of killing you that first time?"  
  
Usagi wondered about that for a while, just allowing herself   
to float, carried with the pleasure and ecstasy of sheer non-  
existence and, sometimes, total bodilessness.  
  
Death didn't feel too bad to her right now. There could be   
worse fates.  
  
----o  
  
"Model 1014-P is now leaving the production line. Will Mister  
Chiba please attend the presentation in the lobby." The voice   
over the tannoy annoyed Mamoru. He didn't want to go, but he had   
no choice.  
  
His office looked over the workfloor from on high. It at   
least felt good to have some mastery over his situation, but   
ultimately it meant nothing. It was still a dark, gloomy office,   
ripe with the smell of old concrete and paper. He'd spent much of   
his life here, in the office.... There was even a bed sitting at   
the back, obscured by filing cabinets. He was lying on that bed   
now, contemplating the warp and weft of the ceiling.  
  
The room itself seemed to welcome his frequent patronage,   
almost messing itself up to suit his state of mind. It felt good to   
stay here. But he couldn't. Not when a new model was about to come   
off the line. Slowly, he rose from the bed and got to his feet.   
Stepping around the filing cabinets, he grabbed his suit jacket from   
the back of the desk chair.  
  
Out of the office, down the stairs and past the myriad of   
workers who lined the conveyor belts with all the zeal of the   
mindless ciphers they actually were, and all bearing the face of   
Usagi. He'd created a great many of them himself, and the other   
half were created by the factory he fashioned. He'd begun to hate   
this world, not that he ever liked it much. The loneliness he felt   
at not having anyone on his intellectual level to talk to drove him   
near mad.  
  
He'd expected at least one of the models to come back to him.  
None ever did. He had no idea where they went or what they did once  
they left the care of his factory.  
  
Through the doors at the far end of the workfloor and into the  
main corridor through the clerical offices. More ciphers, working   
side by side to fulfill the orders. He stared at them as he went   
past. How happy they all looked. Well, of course they would all be   
happy.... They were all working for their beloved Mamo-chan. Each   
and every one of them doing their best to please him. Sometimes   
he'd even contrived to take one or two of them back to the office at   
the end of their workshift, just to see if their construction really   
was up to scratch. They passed, pretty much. But they were   
imperfect in one way or another. He knew the original. He knew her   
intimately. Moreso than he or she would ever confess to anyone   
else. That brought a smile to his face. No matter how hard he   
tried, he would never be able to produce an original Usagi. But   
then, the workers at the factory were never meant to be original.   
That honour was supposed to go to the others, those who were built   
in an attempt to recreate her powers....  
  
That had always failed.  
  
He soon changed his mind as he stepped through the doors into   
the main lobby. Appreciative Usagis, dressed in business suits and   
gowns, stared up in salivating pride at the wonder that stood before   
them. So this was a 4-P model, he thought.... The computer design   
department had done its best to eradicate many of the flaws he'd   
mentioned, but he never thought he'd see so wondrous a sight.  
  
Upon a small, circular raised dais stood Usagi. As close as   
he'd ever seen to the real thing, dressed in her ultimate warrior   
fuku. He bit his lower lip, almost in tears. A deep, dark vacuum   
opened up in his soul....  
  
"Usako...." He croaked, as the 4-P turned to him and smiled.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi found herself floating downwards towards the darkness.   
For a moment, she felt an edge of anticipation.  
"Are you sure that's what you want?" Naiad asked. Usagi   
stared longingly at it.  
"That void.... That air of nothingness, free of pain and   
regret. Right now it feels tempting."  
"That isn't a void, Princess. Down there lies the deepest   
aspects of your own soul. Are you willing to witness the darknesses   
that exist there, even at the cost of your own sanity?"  
"Eh.... Eeeeeeeehhhhhhh?"  
Usagi struggled to swim away from it, succeeding in reaching  
brighter waters. "I want death. I want to be dead. I can't deal   
with the reality, as it exists."  
"Too easy. I won't let you die until things are finally   
over." Usagi began to sob, quivering. "Tears will not sway my   
decision, either."  
"Let me go! Let me DIE!"  
Naiad sighed, and Usagi felt herself landing on solid ground.   
She looked up and saw swaying grass. Slowly she stood, realising   
only then that she was wearing Serenity's royal gown. She looked at   
her surroundings. Despite the warmth of the air and sun, the wind   
had a frigid chill about it, running down from the high snowcapped   
mountains around her. In future years this place would become known   
as Uzbekistan, or, at least, a portion of it would. Over the   
mountains lay a myriad of valleys that would be claimed by various   
nations. Now, however, it was empty, devoid of human habitation.   
Had it not been for the ruins of a small village at the base of the   
valley, she could have imagined this place never having been   
frequented. A road ran through the valley, however. It lead to the   
village. Despite being a dirt track, it was not nearly as   
abandoned.  
  
"The valley of T'fureis." A voice said behind her. She   
turned to see Naiad standing before her. The woman looked so much   
like Setsuna that Usagi momentarily had to check herself. She was,   
of course, a very different beast. Her hair was dark blue rather   
than green, as were her eyes. Her skin was pale and she carried a   
trident staff. On top of it all she wore the more ceremonial fuku   
of a Miko. Extremely ornate, lined with trim made of purest   
turquoise. The woman's face carried a serene smile, but Usagi got   
the impression that it could change at any moment. Like the deepest   
ocean that her power represented.  
"T'fureis?" Usagi pondered. "I'm not sure what it is called  
today. Perhaps it doesn't have a name."  
"Everything has a name. It just depends on how it has been  
misnamed, in due course." Naiad stared across the valley. "This is   
my place of origin. And that of Setsuna."  
"Why did you bring me here? What is there for me here?"  
"Contemplation. You have a destiny to fulfill, albeit a   
different one from that which you'd expected, and not nearly so   
pleasant."  
Usagi turned from her and looked down. "Go away. Let me die   
as I should." Usagi began to walk away, but found herself slowing,   
almost involuntarily. Naiad watched her as she stopped.  
"Death may be a pleasure you seek, but it is one you must   
earn."  
Naiad clanged her staff into the ground. The rings that were   
connected to the spires of the trident sang, and she disappeared.   
Usagi was left alone in the valley.  
  
Alone to think. More alone than she had ever been in her   
entire existence.  
  
----o  
  
Makoto was the first to recover. She lifted herself to her   
hands and knees, groaning. She felt a hand on her shoulder and   
looked up. Aoi smiled back.  
"How are you feeling?" Aoi said softly.  
"Like crap, how else should I feel?"  
"Hmm... You have a point there."  
  
Aoi helped Makoto to her feet. "I'm sorry, but it looks like   
the shrine is wrecked." She said. Makoto looked around. Indeed,   
the shrine was lying around them, nothing short of rubble. There   
was a fine pink residue lying over everything, even herself, and she   
began to brush herself down.  
"What the hell happened? Is everyone alright?"  
"They are. For now." Aoi gestured to the others. Rei, Naru   
and Chibiusa were lying beside each other. Rei was stirring.   
Makoto looked up at Aoi.  
"How did you recover first? I mean, what the hell happened   
just then?" Something occured to her. "Where the hell is Mamoru?"  
  
Aoi pointed to a growing lump of pink, slowly draining the   
pink residue from the shrine grounds. "There. Thats him."  
"Wh.... WHAT?" Makoto stared at the pile.  
"It seems he wasn't quite the Mamoru we know and love." Aoi's  
tone was mischievous.  
"Who the hell WAS he then?"  
"We'll find out soon enough." Aoi turned to Rei, who was now  
trying to lift herself up. "Looks like I've got more work to do.  
Somehow I don't think it will be as easy to explain things to her as   
it was to you."  
  
----o  
  
There wasn't a sense of time in the valley. Usagi sat on a   
rock beside the road that ran through the ruined village. She had   
gravitated to this spot for no real reason other than that it   
represented civilisation. She couldn't stand being without even the   
most tenuous of links.  
  
What did Naiad mean by 'contemplation'? She was dead. Ami   
had killed her. Rather viciously, if her memory served her well.   
In this place, however, nothing was certain. She wasn't even sure   
if 'here' actually was where she thought it was. The place where   
the Drutein sisters were born and raised. Naiad and Hecate. Of   
course, Hecate was now known as Setsuna. Strange how the flavour of   
names haunt people throughout their existences.  
  
She looked both ways along the road. For a moment, it felt   
like waiting for some of the rail and bus services in her area.   
She'd probably wait years for someone to come along, then get an   
entire city passing through. She didn't feel like waiting. Even if   
this was a creation of the T'fureis valley of the Silver Milennium,   
surely Naiad wouldn't be so cruel as to leave her here, totally   
alone.  
  
In a flash, she was standing elsewhere. The school gym. In  
total darkness. For a few moments, she wondered what was going on.  
Wind gently rushed through the trees outside. Her eyes began to  
adjust to the darkness and she saw moonlight casting through the  
window.  
  
There was a dripping sound.... Gentle, yet grim. A soft   
cough followed, and Usagi turned to the source of the sound. There,   
beside the closed door to the changerooms, sat Ami, as Mercury. She   
was leaning against the door, her face bleeding, and her chest even   
moreso. Blood dripped from the chestwound and she stared out at the   
moonlight.  
  
"U..sa...gi...chan..." She croaked as Usagi realised she was  
casting a silhouette.  
"Ami-chan? What....?" Usagi ran over to Ami, trying to reach  
for the mortally wounded young woman. But her hands passed through  
Ami's body. Despite having some substance, she had not nearly   
enough.  
  
"U....sa...gi...ch..." Ami slipped down the door.  
"Go...men..." She hit the floor with a sickening thud. It was   
obvious to Usagi that she was dead. Usagi reached out for the body.   
She wanted to touch the girl.... The girl who had, so very   
recently, killed her.  
  
And then she was back in the valley, reaching down to nothing   
but the ground. She sat and stared into space. Where was all this   
supposed to be leading? What the hell was Naiad trying to say? Why   
didn't she just explain her reasoning for putting her through all   
this and be done with it?  
  
Why? Because it was all too easy. And Naiad NEVER did things   
the easy way. One of the reasons why everyone felt greatly relieved   
after her suicide in the Silver Millenium. It was obvious that the   
only one ever allowed to live the easy way was going to be Naiad   
herself.  
  
----o  
  
"Umm, excuse me..?" Hotaru and Minako were surprised when the  
door opened. The both of them had sat down after explaining very  
carefully to the cats what was going on, the unedited version this   
time. Their previous attempt with the edited one produced a state   
of total non-comprehension in their feline companions, and even some   
slightly paranoid babbling from Luna, who was not entirely known for   
her patience in these matters.  
  
After managing to convince the cats that this most certainly  
wasn't Tokyo (helped by showing them what was through the two doors   
at other end of the office), they sat down and began to ponder their   
next action. That was when the door opened and an Usagi popped her   
head through.  
  
"Yes?" Hotaru did her best to smile sweetly as Luna and   
Artemis cringed from the vision behind her desk.  
  
"I'm here to clean away the bodies." Usagi pointed to the   
other door. Hotaru and Minako stared at each other from their   
respective desks and shrugged.  
"Umm, be our guest." Minako blinked a couple of times. Usagi  
nodded and stepped through the door, carrying a mop, bucket and a   
large, elongated white and black object that looked like an   
overgrown dust vacuum. There were other Usagi's standing near the   
doorway, looking impatient. Minako stood and went up to the   
doorway, putting her hands up placatingly.  
  
"I'm... errr, sorry. We're having our establishment cleaned   
out, so things will take a little longer than expected."  
"I've been waiting here for an hour!" One of the Usagi's,   
wearing a long blue dress, said. Minako turned as the cleaner Usagi   
stepped through the other door into the body storeroom. Hotaru   
followed her and peered in as she switched on the lights. To Hotaru   
the room looked, for all the world, like an overgrown morgue. It   
was bigger than they had expected it to be, as the none of them had   
bothered to step in with the lights on. None of them wanted to.   
Minako turned back to the Usagis assembled by the other doorway.  
"Well, I'm terribly sorry. We've been waiting for the cleaner   
to arrive. You know what the public service is like."  
  
The Usagis hmmmed in agreement. Minako was simply glad she   
had said something that made sense to them.  
"Yeah, remember the drains three weeks ago. Just because the  
destroyers blew the crap out of some portions of the city, we're  
supposed to accept going without water for days at a time."  
"And what about the postal service. Its pathetic, I tell   
you."  
"Then theres electricity and gas. It took them five days to  
connect to my apartment after I moved in."  
  
This made Minako's head spin. These girls... These Usagis,   
were talking to each other as if the entire situation was normal....   
As if they were definably individual beings.... But each and every   
one of them spoke and reacted in exactly the manner she remembered   
the original. It made her sick to the stomach.  
  
"Ano...." She blurted out. They all looked at her. "Umm...   
How long have you guys been here?"  
"Here?" The second Usagi, wearing a red jumpsuit over a   
striped red and white long-sleeved shirt, asked.  
"Yes, here, in the city."  
"Oh, I've been here about seven months now."  
"Three months for me." Said the first.  
"You're queue jumping somewhat, aren't you?" Said a third.  
"Yeah, but I thought, well, get it over with. There's nothing   
for us in this world, anyway."  
  
All the Usagis agreed with this. Minako paled. "What... do   
you mean, there's nothing for you here?" They all stared at her.  
"You should know.... We were brought here to use our powers."  
"But we can't. At least, none of us have been able to   
manifest them."  
"I almost succeeded. I managed to make my tiara glow, just a  
little bit. But it fizzled out."  
"You're lucky. I couldn't even get the tiara to appear."  
"Hmm... Not even being able to get so much as a single base-  
level attack to work. We really are hopeless."  
"Yeah, its better to kill those who don't meet up with your  
standards, don't you agree?"  
"Oh most indupitably..."  
  
Minako couldn't take any more. She began to shake. The   
Usagis looked at her with concern.  
"Are you alright, Mina-chan?"  
"Yes, you aren't looking well...."  
  
"I'll be fine." Minako contained herself and smiled at them   
as best as she could. "As I said, please wait for a little longer,   
then we can.... restart our operations." With that, Minako shut the   
door, leaning her back against it, eyes closed. She took a few deep   
breaths and turned towards the other doorway, where Hotaru was   
watching the cleaner walking around the corpse room. Suddenly,   
there was a loud whoosh, and Hotaru let out a yelp. Minako ran up   
behind her and pushed her aside. There was another whoosh and   
Minako watched disbelievingly as one of the bodies dissapeared,   
leaving only a sticky red mass on the tray it had lain upon. The   
cleaner pulled the vacuum like object away from the tray and walked   
up to another, repeating the process, with the same result. Minako   
heard Hotaru choke, and turned to her.  
"Are you okay, Hotaru-chan?"  
"No. I think I'm going to be sick."  
"You better not be. I have no idea where the bathroom is."  
"I don't think I'm going to wait until you find a bathroom."  
  
Hotaru clamped a hand over her mouth and turned green. Minako  
quivered and wondered how much worse things could get.  
  
----o  
  
Ami walked up the garden path towards the front door of her   
house. It was not often she felt joy at the thought of entering   
this place, and now was one of those times. She'd murdered Usagi.  
With her own hands, even. She felt joy at actually having achieved  
this feat on her own, devoid of the usual weaknesses she felt. It  
hurt so often to be looked upon as the 'brains' of the senshi. So  
often the benefit of that intellect was negated by her own social  
inexperience, leaving the weaknesses in her senshi powers open to  
a greater scrutiny.  
But this time.... She'd beaten the living crap out of Usagi.  
She'd used her fists and strength in a way she'd not thought  
possible. Not her. That had been the preserve of the likes of  
Makoto and Haruka. So then she began to wonder.... Just what was  
it she thought she was doing? Why did she feel the need to kill  
Usagi? Because Usagi would have killed her. And why did she think  
Usagi was going to kill her? Because Usagi would be as mad as hell  
for what happened the first time. And why did they conspire to kill  
her the first time? Because of the vision Setsuna placed in their  
minds, showing Usagi killing them all. So did that mean the vision  
had become a self-fulfilling prophecy? And just how did she come  
back to life the first time? Was it possible a second time?  
  
To say she was less than pleased with things when she walked  
through the front door of her house was something of an   
understatement.  
  
"Tadaiima." She called out. Her mother stepped from the   
doorway leading to the lounge, a drink in her hand.  
"AMI-CHAN!" She shouted. Uh-oh, Ami thought, what have I   
done now? "Little lady, just where have you been. you've had   
friends and half the school in a tizz over your disappearing."  
"Eh?" Ami looked at her in confusion. Suddenly she   
remembered that she'd taken off from the shrine without telling   
anyone. She hung her head, feeling even less happy about things  
than even before.  
"I'm sorry, mother. I had to think things over."  
"You had everyone worried sick about you. Don't you ever   
think about how others feel?"  
  
Ami clenched her fists. "Don't worry, it won't happen again,  
I promise you."  
"And what in hell is going with your friends? I received a  
call from the Tsukinos to tell me their daughter, Usagi, wasn't  
dead after all. After all that happened after school last night  
with the police... Are you alright?" Her mother noticed that  
Ami hadn't moved at all. Usually, at moments like this, Ami would  
wander off as if absent minded. She knew better. Ami was exactly  
like her, in almost every respect.  
  
"Ma.... Mama... I'm.... I...." Ami's mother stepped forward  
to question her daughter further, when Ami flew into her, wrapping  
her arms around her back and burying her face in her shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mama. Everythings gone wrong. My life is all  
wrong. Its all wrong. Please, make it all go away. Please...."  
  
Needless to say, her mother was more than speechless.  
  
----o  
  
The quartet landed hard in the middle of Beryl's castle. The  
ruins of the main hall were cold, the walls broken open allowing in  
the frigid wastes of its surrounds.  
  
Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru landed heavily on their tailbones,  
causing them to quiver for a few moments as the sensation ran like  
an express train into their skulls. Setsuna was the first to stand  
as Jadeite wandered around, gesturing wildly.  
  
"A classic arena for a showdown, wouldn't you say?"  
"What the hell did you do that for, Jadeite?" Haruka stood,  
helping Michiru up with her. "Just whose side are you on, anyway?"  
"Whose side do you think I'm on? My side, of course."  
"And what side would that be?" Setsuna glared at him.  
  
Jadeite shrugged. "Doesn't matter, does it? Having the door  
to my apartment blown open was about as much damage as I was going  
to allow to be done to my property."  
  
"Where is the spawning machine?" Michiru looked around as  
Haruka transformed herself into Uranus. The aqua-haired woman  
seemed more intent on other things than the matter at hand.  
"What does it matter. Usagi shall be here in seconds. You  
probably won't live long enough to see the machine."  
"Look, I really couldn't care less whether Usagi wants to kill  
me or not. I want to see the machine." Michiru stared at Jadeite,  
who mirrored the expression. He shrugged and pointed to a doorway  
on one side of the hall. Michiru sniffed and ran for the door,  
transforming herself into Neptune as she did so.  
  
"Michiru.... Wait!" Haruka ran after her. Setsuna and  
Jadeite watched them go.  
"I take it you aren't interested in the machine, or its  
remains?" He smiled contemptuously. Setsuna shrugged and closed  
her eyes for a moment, then opened them again.  
"Its nothing. Being so close to them now has allowed me the  
opportunity to see the past, and the future. I know what it looks  
like and what has happened here."  
"Hmm." Jadeite pondered this. "But you couldn't beforehand.  
Strange that you are so devoid of the powers to which you are so  
traditionally associated."  
Setsuna ahrugged again. "I know what stepped from the  
machine, Jadeite. And I know you are playing a very dangerous game.  
Don't think she'll not turn on you, just because you helped her  
before."  
  
"Shimatta!" Setsuna and Jadeite turned as Haruka and Michiru  
began stepping backwards through the doorway, followed by Usagi.  
The younger girl showed absolutely no fear of the older senshi.  
  
"Hmm. Your navigation wasn't perfect there, Usagi." Jadeite  
smiled. Her return smile was so sweet, Setsuna could have thrown  
up.  
"It makes a more threatening entrance if I do it this way,  
Jade-chan." She giggled and sniffed. "Brrr, is it cold in here or  
what? Guess I'll just have to warm things up a little."  
  
At that second, fire lamps that had been dead for years sprung  
into life. Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru stared as the flames danced  
into life, bursting with a myriad of different colours. Jadeite  
smiled and opened his arms.  
  
"Magnificent, is it not? The power she now wields is indeed a  
beauty to behold." Setsuna turned back to Jadeite, shaking her  
head. How deluded had he become in the years that had passed since   
the defeat of the Dark Kingdom?  
  
"Well...." Usagi licked her lips. "Who's gonna be first for  
a workout? I'm most certainly in the mood."  
  
Nobody moved, or said anything. Usagi shrugged.  
  
"Okay, then. I guess I'm going to have to choose. How   
about.... YOU." Usagi fired off a beam of energy at Michiru. She  
attempted to put up a shield, but was struck too heavily and was   
thrown twenty feet backwards, falling on her side. Haruka, seeing   
this, took her opportunity to launch an attack.  
  
"Flying WORLD SHAKING!" Haruka charged forward, thrusting out  
a beam of energy at Usagi. Much to Haruka's chagrin, the smaller  
girl was able to create a shield before the strike met home. Usagi  
was knocked backwards half the distance of Michiru, but was still  
standing. She snarled at Haruka, whose energy had begun to falter,  
and let down her shield to make her own attack.  
  
Haruka took the opportunity to bring up her other fist, giving  
Usagi an uppercut across the chin. Usagi was planted into the wall,  
sliding out slowly and falling to the floor. Haruka charged with  
another energised attack as she got to her hands and knees. This  
time, however, Usagi turned her defence move into an attack, making  
the shield a battering ram. She looked up, snarling as Haruka was  
pounded across the hall, slamming into the opposite wall. Michiru,  
getting to her feet, watched Haruka fall to the ground and gritted  
her teeth as Usagi launched an attack at Setsuna.  
  
Jadeite stood back as Setsuna closed her eyes, throwing her  
staff across the path of the beam. The attack shattered against an  
invisible barrier.  
  
"DEEP SUBMERGING MULTIPLE WAVE!" Michiru fired off a beam of  
energy at Usagi. The younger girl smiled and put up her shield,  
allowing the beam to shatter harmlessly. As she lowered her shield,  
she was levelled by a second beam, then a third, a fourth, a fifth.  
  
Usagi felt her clothes tearing, and coughed up blood. The  
pounding injuring her internally. This really made her mad.  
  
Usagi lifted two fingers, clenched together, and ran off an  
incantation. She then slammed her fist into the floor. A wave  
of ripped-out floorstones flew towards Michiru and Setsuna, growing  
in size. Both tried to block the attack, but were blown violently  
backwards, both ending up in the back wall. Jadeite only escaped  
the attack by the skin of his teeth.  
  
Usagi breathed heavily. The attacks the senshi had been  
laying into her weren't too damaging, but it was annoying that their  
numbers were negating her efforts to fire off the more powerful  
spella she had in her retinue.  
  
Setsuna was the first to stand. Michiru had only just managed  
to sit up. Haruka, for her part, was on her hands and knees,  
clutching at a very sore head.  
  
Setsuna lifted her staff and charged forward. "DEAD SCREECH!"  
She shouted as she did so. Usagi placed her hands forward in a  
semi defence/attack stance.  
  
There was a momentary flash of light, and a blue-haired girl,  
holding up the body of another appeared. Both Setsuna and Usagi  
were momentarily distracted, and their attacks went wild.  
  
Setsuna was struck full on in the chest by Usagi's defence,  
whilst Usagi was blinded by Setsuna's attack. Setsuna flew back,  
screaming out loud. The pain in her chest was incredible, blood  
spewing from her mouth in a ghastly arc through the air. Usagi  
staggered back, covering her eyes and crying out in pain.  
  
The girl almost dropped the body when she saw what was  
happening. "Oh dear, I'm sorry about this. I'll be back when  
you've finished things...." She was about to disappear when she  
felt herself being grabbed. Haruka's grip hurt her arm.  
  
"Itaaaiii... That hurts you know."  
"Who the hell are you?"  
"Nobody who should be concerning you. Let me go or I'll  
drop and damage the corpse."  
"The corpse?" Haruka looked at the body that the girl was  
holding, tenuously, underneath one arm. "Usagi?"  
"Yeah, nice bit of deduction there, Sherlock."  
  
The both of them turned as they heard Usagi cry out in anger,  
just about wetting themselves at the violence inherent in the tone.  
Usagi launched herself at Setsuna, landing on top of the woman, who  
was sprawled over the ground, coughing. Usagi gripped Setsuna by  
the throat and lifted her up, pouring energy into her.  
  
Setsuna screamed and felt darkness descending upon her. Usagi  
gritted her teeth, drooling with hatred. "Die, you FREAK! I hate  
you I hate you I hate you I hate you I HATE YOU!"  
  
Haruka and the girl stood, unable to move. Michiru, too, felt  
helpless. That didn't stop the corpse moving. Haruka and the girl   
let out small gasps of surprise as the corpse pulled away from the   
girl's grasp, stepping forward.  
  
"DREAM AMBIENCE VIRULENCE!" The corpse shouted in a voice  
that most certainly wasn't Usagi. The other Usagi turned, hearing  
the attack's verbal opening, realising too late what the attack was.  
  
In a matter of seconds, she was lauched into a random   
transportation vortex, disappearing from the hall in an instant.  
Setsuna collapsed to the ground as Haruka, Michiru and the girl were  
released from the field of energy Usagi had created, all three  
falling to the floor, feeling drained.  
  
The corpse turned to the blue-haired girl, her eyes shining a  
deep aquamarine. "Thanks for transporting the body here, Pala. It  
seems my idiot sister was incapable of looking after herself." The  
voice came from the mouth with barely a movement from the jaw. The  
girl, Pala, nodded dumbly.  
  
The corpse's head turned at the sound of clapping, off to one  
side of the hall. Jadeite smiled, applauding appreciatively.  
"Bravo. A ring-in maneuver. I must admit, you senshi really  
know all the tricks."  
The corpse gave Jadeite the finger and stepped over to the side  
of the fallen senshi. "Jeez, now how does she do this. Wish I'd  
bothered to ask her how this body works." The corpse knelt down and  
touched Setsuna's forhead with a finger. In a fraction of a second,  
Setsuna was thrashing around.  
  
"Ow! Owieowieowieowie!" She sat up suddenly and stared at  
the corpse darkly. "I would have lived, you know?"  
"Yes, but I thought you might have appreciated a blast."  
"Only in retrospect, yes."  
"See, told you."  
  
Haruka pointed to the pair and turned to Pala as Michiru  
joined them. "What the hell is THAT? Usagi? It looks like a  
corpse."  
"It is a corpse."  
"Eh?"  
"Its Usagi's original body, in slightly better condition than  
before. My boss is using it at the moment, though."  
"Your boss?"  
"My dumb-ass sister." Setsuna got to her feet, the corpse  
following suit. Haruka and Michiru opened their mouths in a silent  
'oh', as if that was supposed to make sense.  
  
"Dumb-ass?" Naiad said through the corpse's mouth. "As if."  
She snorted with amusement. "I'm constantly having to clean up your  
messes for you, and you call me a 'dumb-ass'."  
"Yes, well, thanks very much for getting rid of the Gray  
Queen." Setsuna sniffed. "Pity its a temporary reprieve."  
"Well, I don't have the power to kill her, and neither do you.  
In fact, none of us do. None alive, anyways."  
"So what happened to Usagi after I brought her back to life?"  
"YOU DID WHAT?" Haruka, Michiru and Jadeite stared at her in  
utter disbelief.  
"After all the effort you went through to kill her?" Jadeite  
stammered. Setsuna smiled sweetly.  
"Oops, forgot to mention that to you, 'Jade-chan'."  
Jadeite laughed. "Magnificent. I love it. This is SO much  
fun. I knew it was a good idea to become involved in this." He  
smiled as Setsuna chuckled to herself. She quickly did an about  
turn when Haruka and Michiru advanced on her.  
"Just what the hell did you think you were doing?   
Resurrecting Usagi?" Haruka leered. "Don't you remember what was  
to happen in the vision?"  
"Yes. And then I saw the other Usagi pass me by in the back  
of a car. That changed my mind."  
"You mean THAT Usagi is the one we all saw in the vision?"  
Michiru frowned.  
"Indeed it was. Thats why I went behind your backs and  
resurrected the original." Setsuna smiled. Haruka and Michiru  
spat contempt.  
"Well, thats what one should expect from my sister. She was  
born a Scorpio, after all." The Naiad-Usagi corpse sniffed with  
amusement. "I'll never be able to live that down. Having a Scorpio  
for a sister."  
  
"So what do we do now?" Michiru rubbed her shoulders, which  
felt sore, and noticed that Haruka was not looking too good herself.  
"Well, it might be a good thing for Setsuna to bring this bag  
of blood and bone back to life. She did it once."  
"Almost cost me my life, too."  
"Don't worry. I'll use the powers within the bod to bring you  
back."  
"Yeah, sure. And what about Usagi? Won't she be asking for  
the thing back by then?"  
"I'm afraid Usagi is a tad indisposed. For some reason, she's  
not too enthusiastic about coming back to life."  
"How did she die anyway?" Setsuna blinked. "I mean, this  
time... What killed her?"  
Pala giggled from the background. "Seems Mercury was a little  
curious about things in the hospital after that Kikotsuka chick ran  
into her. She went near postal when she saw Usagi was alive."  
"Shit! Forgot about the guys at the shrine." Setsuna huffed.   
"Oh well, better get this over and done with." Setsuna began to   
mouth an incantation.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi climbed the rockface. Not an easy thing to do when  
dressed in something as flowing as a ballgown. For a moment she  
wondered whether it was possible for her to alter this reality to  
suit her needs in some fashion. She most certainly needed to be  
wearing something different to achieve this task. In a blink of an  
eye, she found herself in a short-sleeved mountaineering shirt,  
denim shorts and mountain-climbing boots. Well, she thought, that  
was easy. Should have thought about it sooner.  
  
She then attempted to imagine a large bakery selling dumplings  
at the top of the rock ledge. It didn't work. Oh well, can't get  
everything right.  
  
----o  
  
Four young girls, dressed in rather out-of-place clothing sat  
in the horse cart looking tired, depressed and bored. The short,  
white-haired girl, dressed in a striped black and white suit, who  
happened to be manning the reigns, stared out at the approaching   
village ruin in disgust.  
  
"Oh, wonderful, another ruin."  
"Shutup. We'll find someone sooner or later." Another girl,  
with long brown hair and dressed in a vested suit, muttered. She  
sat up to stretch. The rough wooden sides to the cart had not been  
much of a backrest, but it was all the had to lean against in their  
journey... excluding the backpacks carrying their few belongings.  
The brown-haired girl's companion, a light blue-green haired and  
fair-skinned girl dressed in a one-piece coat and woollen hat,  
lounged against a backpack, groaning audibly.  
"Ohhh, I'm so hungry." She said, holding her stomach. To  
underline the point, her stomach grumbled audibly. The brown-haired  
girl chuckled and put a hand on her arm.  
"Don't worry. There's got to be a place somewhere along this  
road where we can stop." The blue-green haired girl smiled back and  
nodded, prompting a cynical reply from the last of the four, a girl  
with her black hair tied back severely and a feline expression.  
  
"Will the pair of you stop that? You're making me feel sick."  
Blue-green sat up and hissed at her. "Yeah, well now you know  
how it feels to have to be around YOU for too long."  
Black snapped on her. "What did you say?"  
Blue-green refused to be intimidated. "You HEARD what I said.  
Unless, of course, you're deaf."  
"I'll have your heart out for that, bitch!"  
"Oh YEAH? Come and try me, tramp."  
"Now now.... Lets not be hasty.." Brown put a hand on blue-  
green's shoulder and held up the other to black. The both of them  
stared at one another a few moments more, then went back to lounging  
back against their respective backpacks.  
  
All three were shaken as the cart came to a dead stop, and  
stared at their shorter companion, who was pointing out towards the  
side of one of the nearby mountains.  
  
"Look, there's someone trying to climb the mountainside."  
"What?" Brown squinted at the figure, blue-green and black  
sniffing with momentary interest.  
"Probably a loony on the loose. Who else would be out here,  
climbing mountains?" Black shrugged.  
  
Brown opened up her backpack and took out a pair of   
binoculars, using them to get a better image of the figure. She let  
out a gasp and the others stared at her.  
  
"What is it?" Asked blue-green.  
"Its her. Its Sailormoon.... The Tsukino girl."  
The other three sat bolt upright and stared at the distant  
figure. "You're shittin' me?" Black stuttered.  
"No shit. Its her, alright." Brown watched for a few moments  
more. "I think she's in trouble. She's losing her footing!"  
  
----o  
  
Usagi was most certainly in trouble. She'd tried to get  
around a small overhang, only to find a bigger one nearby. In an  
attempt to avoid that one, she'd had a go at scaling the first.  
  
Her foothold went in an instant. Placing her foot in a  
weathered gap, she'd tried to push herself upwards, only to find the  
stone not nearly as strong as it looked. It collapsed beneath her  
foot, and she made a desperate grab for the rock overhang. She  
almost succeeded, but the stone there was equally as brittle, and  
soon she found herself tumbling down the mountainside.  
  
----o  
  
The quartet watched her fall, cringing as she struck each rock  
on the way down.  
"We've got to help her. She must be badly hurt." Black  
gripped the side of the cart as Usagi hit the bottom and lay there,  
unmoving. Blue-green shrugged.  
"Why should we? After what she did to us?" All of them were  
surprised when brown grabbed a blanket and some cloth from her  
backpack and jumped off the cart, charging for the still figure.  
  
They shrugged and jumped off the cart. The short one deciding  
to stay with the horse. The other two following their companion  
rather lamely.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi looked up in a daze, feeling pain all over as her face  
was touched by a hand. "What on Earth were you doing that for, you  
stupid girl?" The owner of the hand looked down on her sternly.  
For some reason, Usagi felt she knew the girl from somewhere.  
  
"I wanted to get a better view. I wanted to see if there was  
anybody or anything about."  
"Well, now you know. Can you move? Does it hurt anywhere?"  
Usagi moved her feet and hands, then her arms and legs, then her  
back and neck.  
"Seems like everything is in working order." She slowly  
began to sit up, helped by the girl.  
"Well, you're damned lucky. You could have been killed, you  
know that?" Usagi nodded dumbly, then a look of realisation came  
across her face.  
"I know you! You were one of Galaxia's lackeys.... What was  
it again? Lead Crow! That was it...."  
"Lackey?" Crow cleared her throat. "Yes, well, there's no  
need to rub it in."  
"I thought you were sucked in to a black hole."  
"So did I."  
"So what are you doing here, now? And why are you helping me?"  
  
Crow shrugged. "One, I don't know what the hell I'm doing  
here right now. Two, I don't know why the hell I'm helping you.  
You seem rather unappreciative of my efforts."  
"Ah, leave her be. We can do without being given grief by  
that dumb blond bitch." Usagi turned to see the voice coming from  
Aluminium Siren, who was standing next to Tin Nyanko. Neither of  
them looked particularly pleased to be there.  
"Ah, gomen. I didn't mean to be rude."  
"Well, you were. Ya can't change that now."  
"Siren, stop that." Crow sighed. She turned back to Usagi.  
"I'm sorry. I'm afraid Siren is a touch bitter about... What  
happened back then."  
"So I should be." Siren sniffed. "I was killed by Galaxia  
over it all."  
"You were killed?" Usagi looked from Crow to Siren to Nyanko.  
"Well, that makes sense."  
"In what way?" Crow looked puzzled.  
"Well, I'm dead too. This is nothing more than a fantasy  
creation." She waved at their surrounds. "It doesn't exist at  
all."  
  
To say the expression on the face of the three animates was  
nothing short of comically tragic would have been an understatement.  
  
----o  
  
Hotaru leaned out of the window, her face slowly returning to  
a healthy shade. It was the most that Minako could think to do at  
the time.  
  
"How's the air out there?"  
"Sure can't be Tokyo."  
"Why?"  
"I can breathe it without having to chew first."  
  
Hotaru turned and leaned back, looking at the sky for a  
moment. "Looks like rain."  
"Hmm... I can smell it in the air." Minako was sitting at  
one of the desks, with Artemis and Luna on top of the desk next to  
her. Luna had been quiet for a while, but finally seemed ready to  
speak up, turning her face up to Minako.  
  
"Mina-chan..." Minako turned from Hotaru to Luna, raising a  
quizzical eyebrow.  
"What is it, Luna?"  
"Have you ever heard the story of the Eteranl City?"  
"Can't say that I have. Why, is it important?"  
"It might be, although I'm not great on the details."  
"Nothing new there." Artemis sniffed. Luna whopped him one  
over the head for that.  
"Hey, guys... Look at the ceiling." They all turned to  
Hotaru, who was now standing upright, pointing up at the ceiling.  
They all followed her direction. Minako stood and squinted.  
"Looks like its been patched up recently. Like its been  
damaged or something."  
"Or had someone fall through it."  
"As in?"  
"As in us." Minako stared at Hotaru for some moments. Under  
ordinary circumstances, she would have laughed this off. But these  
were not ordinary circumstances.  
"I guess so. We fell through the roof of this building and  
ended up in this office, alive despite the impact. So what?"  
"So who patched it up?"  
"The city did." The Usagi-cleaner stepped out of the body  
room, carrying her mop, bucket and eradication device, which was  
now slopping with a sticky red fluid in its catcher. They all  
turned to her. "Well, that should keep things sanitary for a bit  
longer. You know you really should apply to the city council for  
better waste storage premises. This thing is far too close to  
residential areas."  
"Uh... Sure." Minako stammered, lost for words.  
"I'll put in a word. But you know bureaucracy." She chuckled  
and opened the other door. "See you in about two weeks."  
"Uh... Wait." Hotaru reached out a hand and the Usagi-  
cleaner turned to her.  
"Yes? Is there anything else you wanted cleaned?"  
"Its about the ceiling."  
"Not my job. If you're not happy about it, call the interior  
decorators."  
"No, thats not what I wanted. I want to know what you meant  
about the city being responsible for patching up the ceiling."  
"Oh that? Autonomic healing processes, I think. I can't be  
sure, of course." The cleaner shrugged. "I must be on my way. Got  
work to do elsewhere." The Usagi-cleaner stepped into the waiting  
room and disappeared out of sight. The girls and the cats sighed.  
  
"This is getting worse all the time. Was she trying to say  
that this city is alive?" Artemis scratched his head.  
"I think that was exactly what she was trying to say. In as  
many words. It all fits in with what I know about the Eternal   
City." Luna rubbed her chin with her paw. The other three got no  
further in questioning her when a soft voice called from the   
doorway.  
"Ano.... May I come in? I'm first in the queue." The Usagi  
held up a card with a big red number one on it. Minako and Hotaru  
stared at each other and shivered.  
  
----o  
  
Aoi was quick on her feet, Makoto had to say. When that lump  
of pink that was once mamoru began making some rather threatening  
noises, she told everyone to run. And they did, only she was  
fastest, so they all followed her.  
  
Aoi hadn't had the time to explain everything to Rei, as Naru  
and Chibiusa chose that time to wake up. This was about when the  
lump of pink decided to gurgle and moan.  
  
"Where are we going?" Makoto gasped.  
"To Ami's house?" Aoi replied.  
"Ami's? Why there?" Rei asked, puzzled.  
"Because, if my hunch is right, she'll be there now."  
"What the hell was that thing back at the shrine, and why did  
you have to level the shrine to scrag it the first time?"  
"That was a Resonator."  
"Should I bother asking what that is?"  
"You can, but it'll take a while to explain."  
Rei screwed up her nose. "Try me."  
"Well, a Resonator is a being without a mind of its own. Or,  
at least, they have the average intellectual capacity of a common or  
garden neuron, singular."  
"Hmm. Seemed to be displaying a surprising level of  
intelligence to me."  
"Well, Resonators tend to latch on to beings of great   
intellectual capacity, rather like leeches. This means they become  
a part of the host, and can be controlled to a certain extent."  
"And so?"  
"Well, they'll do whatever the host bids, as long as it  
benefits them. This particular Resonator has obviously been sent  
here in the form of Chiba Mamoru, with the intention of fitting in  
within your group. Why your group and why this world I have no  
idea, but its obvious the Resonator sees in this planet a viable  
collection of intellects for its kind to attach to. Until I  
disconnected it back there, it had leeched itself onto your minds,  
thus making you susceptible to whatever its former host wanted from  
you."  
"What are you saying? We were being controlled through that  
thing?" Makoto's mouth was wide open.  
"Hmm.... In a way. I think you were being influenced by it  
rather than controlled."  
  
Something occured to Makoto at that point. "We don't know  
when that thing replaced Mamoru, do we? Or even what had happened  
to Mamoru in the first place...."  
"Indeed."  
"So, one can say we've been influenced for quite a while   
now..."  
  
Rei interjected. "What are you saying? That we were   
influenced by that thing in what we did to Usagi?"  
  
"Thats exactly what I'm saying."  
"But thats impossible. My mind is not so weak." Rei turned  
to Aoi. "And how do you know all this?"  
  
Aoi smiled. "Thats for me to know and you to find out."  
Suddenly, Aoi paused, almost being bowled over by Rei and Naru, who  
were running behind her.  
  
"Ow! What did you stop for?" Rei held her nose, which she  
had hit on the back of Aoi's head."  
"Destiny's path is changing again." Aoi held a hand over her  
mouth. "Ami is going to... She's going to..." Aoi grabbed Rei by  
the arm and began running with renewed vigour, almost leaving the  
other three behind.  
  
"What? What is she going to do?" Rei stammered as Aoi raced  
forward.  
"Die." Aoi said simply.  
  
----o  
  
"Yes, I'm sure thats what she said...." Pause. "No, she  
hasn't mentioned anything else. I gave her something to help her   
sleep and sent her straight to be." Another pause. "Very well,  
you can speak to her, but she might not be in the best frame of  
mind to answer them." Yet another pause. "Alright, I'll be  
waiting."  
  
Ami lay on her bed, feeling tired. She couldn't believe what  
she'd just done. Given close to everything away to her mother.  
  
Ami sat up and stared around her darkened room. She felt so  
tired, so devoid of energy. Slowly she stood and walked over to the  
window. She opened it and allowed the cool breeze to blow over her.  
So nice, she thought. Her eyes, red with tears, stared out into the  
garden, at the small swimming pool her mother had installed not so  
long ago. Ami stepped over the window ledge, and almost pitched  
backwards as her head spun. Somehow, she managed to stay up.  
  
After a few more moments, she slipped onto the ground and began   
to wander towards the pool. Over rocks and grass, she walked without  
even registering. The pool's soft blue glint enticing her forward.   
So beautiful, she thought.  
  
She let her body fall into the water. A momentary splash that  
alerted her mother that something was amiss.  
  
She floated on the surface for some time, looking down into  
the darkness. How peaceful it seemed there. She felt her body  
melting into the water, its calmness accepting and swallowing her  
whole.  
  
The last thing she heard was her mother calling out her name.  
Then nothing.  
  
END OF PART 7  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Notes  
  
This part was the hardest of all to write, and I'm still not   
satisfied with it. There were a lot of scenes here that I wrote   
with a great deal of ambivalence, and that will probably show with   
the almost emotionless tone of the narrative. It should have been a   
lot easier to do, especially after part 6. Maybe I made things hard   
for myself. Anyway, I'd like it if people were to make comments to   
me about whether or not they think this chapter works.  
  
All of those comments, criticisms and outright abuse should be sent  
to darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
DDFA 


	8. Part 8: A Swim in the Ocean of the Mind

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 8  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
IRC: Mappy on DALnet's #AJAS  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so  
these characters really belong to them. I'm only using them to  
achieve my dreams of fame and fortune (I wish). If those who have  
greater rights to these characters wish to throw the book at me  
for being such a nasty person, then they may have to consider  
whether what they are doing is truly worth the expense, because I  
really couldn't supply them the financial recompense they would  
normally expect.  
  
Part Eight  
A Swim in the Ocean of the Mind  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
APB - NAME: TSUKINO USAGI. FEMALE, AGED 17 YEARS. DESCR: BLOND  
HAIR, BLUE EYES, FAIR COMPLEXION. HAIR USUALLY WORN IN ODANGO-STYLE   
PONYTAILS. HEIGHT: APPROX 5'4'' - 5'5'' WANTED IN CONNECTION WITH   
TERRORIST ATTACK ON BURUTO DISTRICT POLICE BRANCH. CONSIDERED   
DANGEROUS. LAST SEEN LEAVING THE GANTO GENERAL PUBLIC HOSPITAL AT   
APPROX 2.15PM, WEARING YELLOW DRESS, BLACK DENIM JACKET AND WIDE-  
BRIMMED HAT....  
  
----o  
  
Usagi cursed as she crawled from out of the laundrette's  
rather large pile of clothing. Damn the senshi to hell, she  
thought. She should have known better than to underestimate them.  
In all the time she had fought alongside them, she had failed to  
learn the biggest lesson of all....  
  
Victory can come to anyone, especially if its achieved through  
blind luck. Certainly, she never expected to see an attack the  
likes of the Dream Ambience Virulence in this day and age. She knew  
how to counter it, of course, its just that its usage was so  
surprising.  
  
She found herself standing in a large storeroom. She didn't  
know where, or, quite possibly, when she was. One guaranteed thing   
about the Dream Ambience Virulence.... It was dead set random in   
its navigation. No trying to follow a trail back... One had to  
make one's own way back to the place of origin. And whoever had  
used the Dream Ambience Virulence had certainly learnt the art of  
the Intellectual Bristol.... The capacity to disorient the victim  
upon their arrival.  
  
All she knew was that the storeroom was full of an awful lot   
of clothes. If this truly was a laundrette, in terms that she   
understood, then it was virtually an industry all by itself.  
  
The storeroom was lit only by pale sunlight which passed  
through the opening of a huge exhaust fan in the ceiling, and the  
walls were covered in a fine layer of moisture and mold. The air  
was heavy with the smell of wet and damp clothing, and humidity. A   
kind of tropical humidity that wasn't simply a product of being in   
close proximity to wet clothes. Wherever this was, she decided, it   
was probably not her native Japan.  
  
Maybe.  
  
There were doors at both ends of the storeroom, one that  
looked like it lead to further internal segments of the building,  
the other a set of double doors probably used to carry the clothes  
in and out. For a moment, she wondered which way was the better to  
go to find her bearings.  
  
She chose the inner door. A decision forced upon her by noise  
that came from outside the double doors. Someone speaking a foreign  
language. She had trouble defining what the language actually was.  
One moment, it sounded like Cantonese, the next it had elements of  
common Arabic. There was even a smattering of German and strains of  
American-accented English. Whatever the case may be, she didn't  
feel like coming into contact with any of the locals just at the  
moment.... It might be difficult explaining what she was doing here  
in the first place.  
  
This was what she was thinking as she opened the inner door to   
come face to face with a woman dressed in a Red Cross uniform. The   
woman stared at her and Usagi stared back.  
  
Then the woman screamed, Usagi coming close to wetting herself  
at the reaction. "Uuhhh... gomen. Is there an exit to this  
place?" That didn't seem to settle the woman, who was backing against   
the opposite wall in the corridor beyond the doorway. Then there was   
a crashing sound and Usagi spun, seeing the double doors forced open   
by UN soldiers. With guns even. All pointing at her.  
  
"Oh crap." Was all she could say.  
  
----o  
  
"Amiiiii!" Doctor Mizuno leaned over the edge of the pool  
water, her eyes stinging at the sudden exodus of chlorine. For a   
few moments, she thought she was going to pass out, but was grabbed   
from behind by someone and dragged back. She coughed, trying to get   
fresh air into her lungs, and looked up at a woman aged in her mid   
to late twenties.  
  
"What happened?" She recognised the voice and turned to her  
left. Osaka Naru was standing there, holding one arm. Behind her  
stood Kino Makoto.  
"Ami... She..."  
"Whats happened to Ami?" She turned to her right. Hino Rei  
had hold of her other arm, the pink-haired girl standing next to   
her. Why were they here?  
"She.... In the pool... She's melted into the pool...."  
"WHAT?" Rei was dumbstruck.  
"How? What happened?" Naru tugged on her arm.  
"She'd come home in a state, so I gave her something to help  
her relax and get some sleep, and put her to bed. I heard a splash,  
and came out here, and saw her floating on the top.... Then she...  
She just melted away..."  
"Shimatta!" The woman who was standing behind her was pulling  
off her coat.  
"Kikotsuka-san!" Rei stood. "What are you going to do?"  
"She's melded with her element. The drug administered to her  
has placed her in a semi-concious state. By immersing herself in  
her element, she's allowed her powers to fuse with it, and thus  
melted into it as if it were her body."  
"You mean that water is now Ami?"  
"Technically speaking, yes."  
"W... waitaminute here!" Doctor Mizuno stared at everyone  
around her. "What are you all talking about? What powers? What is  
going on here?"  
"You mean Ami has never contrived to tell you? What a shame.  
Allow me to enlighten you. Your daughter is Sailormercury. She has  
the power of water and steam and has been hiding this fact from you  
for quite some time. Approximately three to four years, in fact,  
give or take some lost time due to various magical interferences on  
the part of others. Are you satisfied now? Good."  
Everyone stared at Aoi as she dashed up to the side of the  
pool. The chlorine gas had dissipated, thanks to a slight breeze,  
and Aoi found only a slight discomfort.  
  
"You didn't have to be that blunt about it, did you?" Naru   
dashed forward, grabbing Aoi by the shoulder as the woman leaned   
over, staring into the water.  
"How did YOU find out then?" Aoi fired back. Naru looked   
speechless.  
"I told her." Rei stood behind them. "The question is,   
what are you going to do with this information?"  
"Should I do something with it? Arrest you? Have you put to  
death?" Aoi shrugged. "Or leave it be. Right now, I couldn't give  
a stuff."  
"My daughter is Sailormercury?" Doctor Mizuno rubbed her  
forehead.  
"And you know I'm Sailormars." Rei said blandly.  
"I've always known that. Far longer than you could ever  
understand"  
  
There was a small explosion, and smoke rose from a nearby  
shed. They all looked up. "Well, there goes the water chlorination  
system." Aoi shook her head. "Surprised it took the girl so long  
to scrag the thing."  
  
"That doesn't change anything." Rei was flustered.  
"What do you mean, you've known who we were for a long time?"   
Makoto stepped forward. Aoi gritted her teeth.  
"I don't have time for explanations, SAILORJUPITER, lets just  
say we've met before in a past life and leave it at that, okay?   
Good!"  
"My daughter is Sailormercury...."  
"Will someone shut that hysterical woman up!?!" Aoi reached a  
hand down to the water. "AMI? AMI, CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Aoi waited,  
as if expecting a reply. She shook her head, getting none. "Damn,  
this isn't going to work. I'm going to have to meld with her."  
"What do you mean, meld?" A thought came to Rei's head.   
"Don't tell me you have some kind of senshi power, too?"  
"I'm not a senshi. I leave that title to the lesser lights  
such as yourself." Aoi stood. "And is the term 'meld' ambiguous or  
something? Jeez, what do they teach kids in school these days?"  
  
Suddenly, there was a cry from behind them. They all turned  
to see Doctor Mizuno backing away from Chibiusa, who was shivering  
uncontrollably, glowing with a pale light.  
"What... What's happening... to me?" Chibiusa stared at  
herself in fear. Slowly, her body turned transluscent, and fell to  
the ground like an empty shell.  
  
"Chibiusa!" Rei, Makoto and Naru all cried out in unison.  
Aoi spat with contempt.  
"DAMN! She's been drained of her essence." Aoi snapped her  
fingers. "CereCere, VesVes!" Two figures appeared in mid-air. A  
red-haired girl wearing a pink dress with floral motif, and a  
scarlet-haired girl wearing red and black lycra sports gear. The  
both wore their hair down, but Rei and Makoto clearly recognised  
them.  
  
"YOU!" Rei spat out, as the two girls landed on the ground,  
next to Doctor Mizuno.  
"Us." CereCere smirked. She caught Ami's mother as the woman  
fainted, cradling her tenderly. "It would appear she has had  
something of an information overload."  
"You two, take charge of the situation here. CereCere, you  
handle Doctor Mizuno and the other girls. VesVes, take Chibiusa's  
shell and place it somewhere where it won't degenerate. We'll need  
an avatar if we are to retrieve her essence."  
"Yes, ma'am." They both said. CereCere pointed to Makoto.  
"Help me with the good Doctor, will you? I can't carry her on my  
own."  
Without thinking, Makoto found herself helping her one-time  
enemy with Ami's mother. Rei watched in disbelief. "You're  
actually bothering to help these people, Mako-chan?"  
VesVes stared at Rei darkly. "As if your actions have been  
the paragon of virtue. Regardless of what has gone on between us,  
you have no choice but to work with us now." VesVes stepped over  
to Chibiusa's shell and looked around, then pointed back to Rei.  
"Find me a sheet of something. Large enough and strong enough to  
slip underneath her, so we can carry her without having bits fall  
off."  
Rei snarled and looked around. "And where do I start   
looking?" VesVes sneered with contempt.  
"Somewhere. Anywhere. Just do it before it starts raining  
again, cos its gonna pretty soon, and once it does, she'll start to  
melt away."  
  
Whilst this was going on, Naru watched as Aoi began to chant  
something by the poolside, her eyes closed and hands clasped, with  
three fingers pointing upwards. Curiosity got the better of her  
and she reached out for Aoi's arm.  
"What are you.... Aaahhhh...."  
Aoi pitched forward into the water, taking Naru with her.   
VesVes turned, her face turning pale. "Oh GOD, no!" She ran to  
the side of the pool as the water started to settle. Rei was beside  
her.  
"What happened? Where are they?"  
"Our boss has melded with Mizuno-san in the pool."  
"What about Naru-chan?"  
VesVes looked up at her. "She was holding on to her when they  
fell in. Its most probable that Osaka-san has melded with her too."  
  
Rei stared into the pool in shock. A pool that, for all  
intents and purposes, looked empty.  
  
----o  
  
It had taken almost no time for Setsuna to resurrect the body  
of Usagi by creating a small pocket of reverse time, taking it back  
to the point where she had been beaten and killed.  
  
"Ooh, that tickles." Said Naiad, obviously amused at her  
sister's efforts. The strange one that inhabited Usagi's corpse  
felt the body's systems come back... The heart started to beat once  
more, and the chest rose and fell with a few tentative gulps of air.  
For Naiad, the effect was most exhilirating.  
  
Haruka, Michiru and PalaPala then watched in morbid   
fascination as Setsuna fell back, dropping her staff and holding her   
arms in pain. Naiad stared at her for several moments as the woman   
turned transluscent.  
  
"What's happening to her?" Haruka croaked in shock.  
"She's dying." Naiad-Usagi replied flatly. "But not for   
long." She smiled sweetly at the other three and placed a finger on  
top of Setsuna's shell. "Hmm, I could get to like this body and  
its powers." She smirked as an arc of energy shot between her  
finger and the shell.  
  
The jelly mould in a senshi fuku suddenly turned into a   
healthy looking young woman in a senshi fuku, bounding around the   
hall of Queen Beryl's castle in pain, watched by the five others,   
two in perplexion, the other three in mild amusement.  
  
"What's she trying to do? A raindance?" PalaPala chuckled,  
shutting up when Haruka shot her a reproachful glance.  
  
Eventually, Setsuna stopped and glared at her sister in  
Usagi's body. "You're as bad as the original. Only in your case,  
I'm putting money on that it was deliberate."  
"Hehehe, gomen na saiiiii." Naiad-Usagi said, and promptly  
collapsed. Michiru managed to catch her before her head hit the  
floor.  
"Feeling a bit tired there?" Jadeite said from a distance, a  
soft smile on his face. The others ignored his question as Setsuna  
stepped up to Naiad-Usagi's side.  
"What's wrong? Is the latent power of the body too much for  
you to take?"  
"Oh, hardly. I'm just spreading myself too thin. I'm afraid  
you'll have to look after this comatose piece of meat for a while  
whilst I attend to other business." And with that, Usagi's eyes  
glazed over. Setsuna was about to grab the girl's collar and slap   
her, but seeing that nobody was home, she sighed and gave up the   
thought of remonstration.  
  
"Setsuna...." Haruka stammered. "Was that really your  
sister?" Setsuna looked up at Haruka and huffed with amusement.  
"Only in the quietest moments. Otherwise I'll abdicate all  
responsibility."  
"Doesn't she have a body of her own?" Michiru raised an  
eyebrow. "She reminds me of you. Its a scary thought that there is  
someone running about with your personality and personal habits,  
taking over other peoples' bodies."  
Setsuna sighed, seemingly taking Michiru's words as a  
compliment. "She's been dead since the Silver Millenium. I really  
don't know why she or any of the other Mikos haven't been   
resurrected yet." Setsuna rubbed her chin. "Come to think of it,   
she said she had been reborn.... At least, had found a suitable   
host body for her subconciousness."  
  
"Miko?" Setsuna turned to Jadeite, whose face had paled  
significantly. A wicked smile came to Setsuna's face. "Whats wrong  
Jadeite? You look like you've seen a ghost."  
"Naiad Keth Drutein...." Jadeite put a hand to his forehead,  
looking distinctly queasy. "The final Miko of the Third Refrain..."  
  
"What's he talking about?" Haruka asked, inquisitively.  
  
PalaPala answered the question this time. "The Third Refrain.   
There were twelve Mikos in the Kingdom, each split up into three   
Refrains of four. The first represented the positive, the spirit.   
The second represented the neutral, the body. And then there was   
the third, which represented...."  
  
"The negative, the mind." Michiru lifted Usagi's body in her  
arms as she stood. "And, naturally, all four members of each  
Refrain represented an element within the positive-neutral-negative  
framework. Fire, Earth, Air and Water." Michiru turned to Setsuna.   
"Your sister, being the last of the Third Refrain was the Miko of   
Water, with an accent on the mind and its internal, intrinsically   
negative aspects."  
Setsuna smiled as both she and Haruka got to their feet. "You  
catch on fairly quickly." Michiru shrugged, not easy to do when  
carrying a sleeping body.  
"My element is water. I have an insight into these kind of   
things. I'm afraid Haruka here, being a senshi of air, tends to be   
fairly flighty when it comes to such thought processes."  
"Is that an insult?" Haruka looked at her dubiously.  
  
"Anyways..." PalaPala shrugged as the two outer senshi  
glared at each other. "What we are looking at is a classic Zodiacal   
pattern."  
"Indeed, I'd say the western Zodiac itself was based on the  
Miko caste." Setsuna replied, following PalaPala's line. "You seem  
to know a lot about this.... Sailorpallas, isn't it?" Haruka and  
Michiru stared at the light-blue haired girl. PalaPala shrugged and  
smiled.  
"Hmm, thats what some may refer to me as. I prefer PalaPala,  
though." Haruka turned to Setsuna.  
"She's a senshi?"  
"One of the four Asteroid Senshi, if my memory serves me   
correctly." Setsuna and PalaPala smiled at each other. "I take it  
you've met my sister before?"  
"Yes. We've been working for her for quite a while."  
"And do you trust her?"  
"No. Does it matter?"  
"Not entirely. Unless, of course, you're willing to trust the  
Water Miko of the Third Refrain. Not many people did."  
  
"So that would make your sister Sailor... Pisces, then?"   
Michiru seemed to throw in from out of the blue.  
Setsuna snorted. "I wouldn't say that in her presence. The  
thought of being classed alongside a senshi with a sailor title  
would put the wind right up her." Setsuna shook her head. "The  
Mikos always considered themselves a step above we senshi. Its one  
of the things that drives the wonderful relationship we both have."  
"Looks more like a common-or-garden dysfunctional family setup  
to me." Haruka shrugged.  
  
"Naiad Keth Drutein! I should have realised from the START!"  
All four turned to face Jadeite, who had a strangely smiling  
expression on his face. "She's been calling to me all this time and  
I was just too stupid to see it! DAMN HER!" Jadeite looked up at  
Setsuna. "I'm so sorry I have to leave this party. There is  
someone I must see. Tata." Jadeite flashed out of existence.  
  
Michiru and Haruka stared at where he stood, their faces masks  
of tragedy. "Now how are we gonna get back?" Haruka asked in a  
whiny little voice that annoyed Setsuna.  
"I'll transport you back." She shook her head. "Don't tell  
me you didn't know I could do that?"  
Both shook their heads.  
"Oh dear. I really must relay more about myself to others.  
Not." Setsuna stuck her tongue out at them.  
  
----o  
  
Hotaru and Minako sat opposite the Usagi who had been first in  
the queue. The Usagi, dressed in a simple pink skirt and blouse,  
looked around the office appreciatively.  
"Nice office. Better than my apartment."  
"This office is better than your apartment?" The pair   
chorused. Usagi nodded.  
"Hn. Real dingy place. Mold on the ceiling and walls. Wood  
floorboards that are close to rotting. Very few windows, light  
fittings don't work, so its pretty bloody dark. Only the water and  
gas rseem to work properly. I suppose I should be thankful for   
small mercies." Usagi smiled. Both Hotaru and Minako felt horrible   
that she was here to be killed by them.  
  
"So..." She continued. "How do we do this?"  
"Umm..." Minako quickly thought on her feet. "First, we have  
to be sure that you want to go through with this. I mean, once its  
done, its done. There's no turning back."  
"Ah yes, I've thought it over for some weeks now, and I'm most   
certain that I want to die."  
"What brought this sudden need on?" Hotaru put a hand to her  
chin. The Usagi's face dropped and she stared at the floor.  
"I was supposed to become Serenity. The REAL Serenity, but I  
failed. Right from the outset it was obvious. I couldn't so much  
as transform, or even use my powers of influence." She shook her  
head. "Its kinda sad, really. Suddenly you're born, just like   
that, and then you're told that you're a failiure and that you can  
go rot in the midst of this damned city...." She seemed at the  
point of tears, but her expression changed to that of a sad smile.  
"Oh well, at least it'll all be over soon."  
  
"So, umm... How do you want to die?" Hotaru couldn't think  
of anything better to ask, and Minako stared at her painfully.  
"Ah, yes, I have your catalogue here." She pulled a tatty  
coloured booklet from her skirt pocket and began to thumb through  
it. "I'd looked through it quite a number of times, but none of the  
'special' methods seemed to appeal to me, so I thought I'd choose a  
traditional one. The gunshot to the head. If that's alright by  
you?"  
  
No, that's not alright, was their unspoken thought.  
  
----o  
  
"Hhkk...." The 4-P Usagi model caught her throat for a   
moment. She had just successfully taken out some mannequin enemies  
with the Moon Tiara. Mamoru and the Usagi Executive applauded  
appreciatively at this.  
"She's finally broken the barrier. The Moon Tiara." Said one  
of the Usagi execs.  
"Nobody has been able to do that before." Said another.  
Mamoru stared in pride at this latest piece of work. He had  
to keep reminding himself that it wasn't the same Usagi he knew and  
loved. The one from HIS world. This was nothing but a copy.  
  
"Mamo-chan?" The 4-P stared at Mamoru for a second. "What's  
going on? Are you the REAL Mamo-chan?" Mamoru and the Usagi execs  
stopped their applauding and stared at her. She leapt from her   
raised dais and grabbed Mamoru. "Please, tell me you're the REAL   
Mamo-chan...."  
  
"What's gone wrong?" The chief Usagi exec stepped up beside  
Mamoru. The 4-P stared at her in shock, then at all the other   
Usagis behind her.  
"Who... Who are all these people, Mamo-chan? What are they  
all doing here. I thought she was dead...." The 4-P stared into  
Mamoru's eyes. Then she noticed something, she was taller than she  
last remembered herself being. She looked down at her clothes.  
  
"Yaaahhhhh! I'm Sailormoon. Super Sailormoon, even. this is  
horrible. How did this happen?"  
"There must be something wrong with her...." The chief exec  
looked at Mamoru, shaking her head. "Psychologically, anyway. That  
at least is fixable."  
"Mamo-chan.... What's happening to me.... I felt sick and  
suddenly I'm here. Please tell me, otosan..."  
  
"Otosan?" The chief exec and her kin all turned from the 4-P  
to Mamoru and back. Mamoru's mouth began forming words, in shock  
and surprise.  
  
"Papa, I'm scared." The 4-P began to cry great torrents of  
tears. Mamoru reached forward and took her into his arms, much to  
the surprise of the jealous executives.  
  
"I'm sorry, Chibiusa. Everything will be alright now. It'll  
be alright, Papa promises you."  
  
----o  
  
Usagi sat in the cart as it ran along the track for quite some   
distance. The valley of T'fureis was now disappearing behind the  
mountains which lined it. Her four newly-found companions were also  
sitting quietly after listening to the story of how she came to be  
here.  
  
"So, you were backstabbed by your own." Siren rubbed a hand  
over her mouth. "Sounds like the kind of thing people used to do  
on my homeworld."  
"Shutup, Siren." Nyanko, who was leaning against one of the  
backpacks, looked up at Usagi. "And you didn't even get a chance to  
explain to Mercury that you weren't going to hurt her?"  
"She wasn't in the frame of mind to listen. She just went  
straight for the kill." Usagi shivered and curled up even further.  
"The look in her eyes. One moment she looked insane, totally intent  
on killing me, almost finding a kind of perverse pleasure in the   
act. The next, she was confused and sad, not knowing why she was  
doing what she was doing."  
"Almost sounds as if she were possessed." Crow, who was  
sitting opposite Usagi, mumbled whilst looking away. Usagi looked  
over at her.  
"I'd say that would be an apt description. She most certainly  
wasn't of her right mind."  
Siren shrugged. "Well, now you're dead. Join the club."  
Crow shot Siren a reproachful glance, but the other girl   
wasn't so easily cowed. "Well we're all dead. Well aren't we?  
Whats the big fuss? Galaxia snuffed me after this bitch here goaded  
her." She pointed to Nyanko.  
"Don't you start now." Crow sighed and turned to Usagi. "So,   
if we're all dead, what does that make this place? Heaven? Some   
kind of afterlife existence?"  
"Not my kind of afterlife existence." Mouse muttered from the  
front of the cart, holding the reigns.  
"Nobody said the afterlife was going to be fun in the sun, did  
they?" Crow snapped. Mouse shrugged.  
"No rest for the wicked, then, eh?"  
  
Usagi looked ahead. "Any idea where we're going?"  
"Forward. Its about the best estimation I can give you under  
current circumstances." Mouse looked back. "There are large  
mountains visible off in that direction. I don't fancy my luck at  
traversing them in this thing." Mouse pointed east south east of  
their current locale, and Usagi could see some snow-capped peaks in  
the distance that had been hidden from her view in the base of the  
valley.  
"Yeah, looks pretty rugged out there." She turned to Crow.  
"So, how did you guys end up here?"  
Crow shrugged. "We just seemed to find each other in this  
port city. Bisshin, I think its name was. Some distance off in  
that direction." She pointed south-west.  
"We should have stayed there." Siren muttered.  
"What, with the slave-traders there? Four girls like us, sans  
the powers we used to have, wouldn't have stood a chance."  
"Slave traders?" Usagi's ears popped up. "I thought this was  
supposed to be a recreation of the Silver Millenium."  
"Yeah, whatever that is." Crow shrugged.  
"Don't look at me. I'm only visiting this place." Nyanko  
raised an eyebrow. Usagi sighed.  
"The Silver Millenium.... The period in my planet's history  
when the Senshi reigned over the planet, and, indeed, the entire  
solar system."  
"So what went wrong?"  
"Bitchy little infighting is what went wrong." Siren   
chuckled. "Oh yes, this is VERY much like my homeworld."  
  
"That's not the point. During this time such things as the  
slave trade shouldn't have existed."  
"Neither should things like the 'Rights of Succession'. And  
yet they did. If this is a truly faithful recreation of this  
'Silver Millenium', then you're getting the warts and all picture."  
Siren lounged against her backpack. Suddenly, she sat up. "Hey,  
I've just thought of something...."  
"What?" Crow muttered. The others just stared at her.  
"If this truly is a recreation of this 'Silver Millenium',  
then wouldn't Queen Serenity and her daughter be around?"  
"Yeah. So what?" Crow couldn't see the point that Siren was  
getting to. Usagi, however, could.  
"Everyone here would surely know what they look like...." Her  
eyes opened wide.  
"Indeed. And everyone would know that they look like YOU."  
  
Mouse stopped the cart and turned with everyone else at Usagi.  
"Oh crap!" Crow muttered. "The first populated village we come  
upon, everyone's going to look at you and freak out."  
"Either that or they'll lay out the red carpet." Siren's eyes  
glittered. "Ah, I can see it now... All that FOOD."  
"Thats not the point, Siren." Crow sighed. "They'd first  
want to know why she's travelling on a junkheap like this with the  
four of us. I'm quite sure stories about us have spread this far  
already."  
"What stories?" Usagi looked puzzled.  
"Well, we didn't make the best of visitors to the port city of  
Bisshin. In fact, we upset the applecart there quite nicely,  
thankyou very much."  
"It wasn't my fault. We had that mail-order racket going  
quite nicely, thankyou very much." Siren whined.  
"Mail order racket?" Usagi croaked. "I really don't want to  
know." She sniffed and leaned back against the side of the cart.  
Mouse chuckled and flicked the reigns, getting the horse to move  
once more.  
"So, what are we going to do when we get to that next town?"  
Usagi muttered. Crow smiled.  
"Well, you could always become one of US."  
"What do you mean, one of you?  
Crow chuckled. "From now on, your name is Gold Usagi. Got   
it? We're the Animates. Iron Mouse, Lead Crow, Aluminium Siren,   
Tin Nyanko and Gold Usagi."  
"Why does she get an upper-class metal?" Siren whined.  
"Got a better idea?" Crow glowered at her.  
"What about Plutonium Usagi. That fits her persona far better."   
Siren smirked. "I know I'd keep as far from her as possible."  
"Baka." Crow bopped Siren one over the head, who giggled.  
Usagi smiled, then nodded.  
"Very well. I'm Gold Usagi, then."  
  
----o  
  
For a few brief moments, Naru found herself floating in blue  
nothingness, still hanging onto Aoi's shoulder. In that blue,  
however, Aoi's appearance had seemed to change.... Her visage going  
from that of the plain brown-haired, light eyed young woman into  
something rather more impressive. Her hair and eyes glowed with the  
blueness that surrounded them, and her face appeared remarkably  
similar to someone she knew....  
  
Suddenly, Naru hit the ground. She let out a squeal of  
surprise as she felt its force punch her square in the trunk. She  
lay there for several moments, trying to catch her breath, when she  
heard a voice from above her.  
  
"What the hell are YOU doing here?"  
  
Naru looked up to see the face of Setsuna staring back at her.  
Only it wasn't Setsuna behind that face. Certainly, the eyes and  
the hair colour defied that description. The woman standing before  
her, dressed in a far more ornate fuku, carrying a trident staff,  
was a very different beast altogether.  
  
"Kikotsuka-san?"  
"Yes?" She paused for a moment, looking frustrated. "I mean,   
what the hell did you follow me for?"  
"Umm... I grabbed your arm... And I..."  
"...Fell into the pool with me." The woman shook her head  
pitifully. "Am I to be surrounded by cretins throughout my   
existence?" She turned around and stared at her surroundings.  
"Well, the only way I can rid myself of you now is if I were to  
physically drag you from the water, and since we don't have the  
time for that, you'll just have to accompany me. Get to your feet."  
  
Naru did so, grouchingly. "There's no need to be so rude   
about it." The woman snorted contemptuously.  
"So sorry. Don't think I'm doing it for you, personally. I  
treat everyone this way."  
"Nice to know I haven't been singled out for special   
treatment." Naru looked around at her surroundings, following her  
companion's example. They were standing in a small field of finely  
cut lawn, the occasional ruin of a marble and iron rotunda dotting  
the emptiness. "So what name should I refer to you by? A Sailor  
title?"  
The woman gritted her teeth and made a gagging noise. "Uh-uh,  
sorry, wrong answer. If you want, you can call me Aoi, although I  
prefer my original name."  
"Which is?"  
"Naiad."  
"Naiad? What kind of name is that?"  
"What kind of name is Naru?"  
"Touche'"  
"We go this way." Naiad pointed her trident. "And quickly.  
If we don't reach Ami in time, her conciousness may dissipate."  
"You mean she'll die?"  
"Hmm.... Maybe. Other than that, she may simply revert to  
spiritual energy, the force by which we master our roles as miko  
and senshi."  
"Miko? You mean you're a shrine maiden?"  
Naiad started making that gagging sound again. Naru sighed.  
"Sorry, Priestess. I meant Priestess. Don't get yourself all  
worked up, okay?"  
"Its a good thing you're speaking with a Third Refrain Miko.  
I'm quite sure Ares would have flamed you by now."  
"Who's that when they're around?"  
"The Fire Miko of the First Refrain. They're such airheads,  
those Firsties, but funny guys to be around." Naiad started a light   
jog. "Onward we go, into the Valley of Death. If you don't hurry,   
you'll miss the show."  
  
Naru followed her, and was surprised to find how easy it was  
to run. She felt no exhaustion, no shortness of breath.... Nothing  
that she normally associated with running. Still, she had trouble  
keeping up with Naiad. "Slow down! Please!"  
"I haven't got the time to waste on you. If you get lost,  
then that's your fault. Anyways, you're not as useful to me as Ami  
is, so I won't be shedding tears if you end up getting dissipated  
instead of her." Naiad ran into a forest of ruined columns, and it  
was here that Naru lost sight of her. Naru paused by a column and   
scanned the area. There was no sign that she had even been there.   
Naru began to panic.  
  
"Naiad-sama! Please... Don't leave me here. Naiad-sama!"  
  
There was no reply.  
  
----o  
  
Jadeite stood in the crowd that surrounded the police line,  
staring in disbelief at the ruins of the Buruto Police Station.  
  
Privately, he cursed himself. If that bitch was anywhere, the  
ruins of the police station she once worked at was not going to be  
the place. He had to hand it to his Youma-Usagi creation, though,   
she really knew how to put on a show.  
  
He thought to himself for a few moments before he turned away.  
Why hadn't he been able to spot the spirit behind the eyes of the  
policewoman? Perhaps he, too, had been under the witch's spell.  
That was more likely to be the case. The Mikos of the kingdom had  
been a very influential cult, allowed to flourish because of the  
successive Queens' fascination with the religion. Whilst there were  
many unbelievers, like himself, there was no doubting the power and  
influence the Mikotai held.  
  
Even worse was the fact that each and every one of them was a  
distinct individual, as eccentric as the next. Trying, in some  
manner, to learn how to relate to them, when you don't know whether  
what you do or say around them may offend, was a chore. And there  
was never a more difficult, taciturn, erratic and (many only  
whispered it) insane Miko than Naiad Keth Drutein. The woman was  
mad, bad and dangerous to know. She used her powers of influnece in  
a stealth manner, feeding into others' minds for various purposes,  
be they her religious duties as a Miko, or for her personal   
amusement. In Naiad's case, it had been extremely difficult to  
define which was which.  
  
There were even those who said that her eventual suicide was  
nothing more than an effort to free herself of her body, and that it  
was she, in the form of her spirit, who influenced Beryl into  
bringing about the destruction of the Kingdom. It amused him,  
sometimes, to think that Metallia may have only ever been a front  
for the Miko witch.  
  
He pushed his way back through the crowd. She had to have  
gone somewhere.... He thought hard.... The shrine grounds where  
Mars lived? That was certainly a possibility. Who knew how many  
puppets she was controlling.  
  
He bit his lower lip and closed his eyes as he stopped by the  
edge of the neighbouring street. Mars.... She was not the woman he   
once remembered. There were times when he wished he could have   
turned her over, to join the forces of Beryl.... Of all the senshi,   
she was the most susceptible.... But it was too late to wish for   
that now.  
  
And the thought that the witch might be using her as well....  
Maybe that was why she had changed so much. The witch most  
certainly had some scheme up her sleeve. To do what, he didn't  
know, although it was likely that Setsuna was seeing through the  
scheme. Even so, Setsuna was not to be trusted, either. The pair  
of them were puppet masters. It all depended on whether they were  
working together, or at cross-purposes.  
  
He crossed the street, feeling a chill run through him, as if  
he was being watched. He turned as he reached the other side, but  
there were so many people there that it was impossible to pin down  
the person in question. A hint of paranoia entered his mind. It  
might even be another pair of the witch's eyes. Anyone, with her in  
such a non-corporeal state, could exist as her eyes. Even himself.  
He shook his head and continued on. If it was her, or someone else,  
then the best thing to do would be to draw them away from a large  
crowd like this and take them on singularly.  
  
From out of the crowd, an Usagi, hair worn down, dressed in a   
pink skirt and blouse, followed him.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi had thrown up her hands in surrender as soon as she saw  
the guns. Whatever power it was she had, she didn't know if she  
had the speed to get out the name of an attack before they immolated  
her. And anyway, she hated guns.  
  
"I GIVE UP!" She shouted as loudly as she could. The first  
bullet went through her chest, blowing blood across the hysterical  
woman behind her. She stared down at the bullet wound in disbelief.  
"Umm, did I say something wrong?"   
  
Before long, she was being pounded by bullets, her body   
virtually pinned to the far wall of the storeroom by the force of   
the volley.  
  
They stopped, eventually, as Usagi's body slid down the wall.  
The woman with the Red Cross uniform took flight, shouting something  
about there being a monster in the storeroom, in French-accented  
English.  
  
Ow, Usagi thought. That wasn't very nice. And here I was  
being the submissive one. Oh well, so much for that ruse, time to  
play the rampant aggressor.  
  
"Alright...." She croaked. "If thats the way you want to  
play it, I'll join your little game." She stood up, her body  
jerking like a puppet. "I'd just got meself a nice new body, and  
you had to go and ruin it. Shame on you." The soldiers backed  
away as she advanced on them. "Oh no, its not THAT easy to get  
away from me. Come on, try and shoot me again. It'll work about  
as well as the last time."  
  
Usagi held up a hand and placed a field around the doorway.  
The first two of the dozen or so soldiers to reach it screeched in   
agony as their bodies cooked upon contact. Their counterparts   
turning and staring at them with stunned disbelief as the sizzling   
corpses fell to the floor. "Ah, guess that ain't the way out. Care   
to try another exit?" Usagi gestured to the inner doorway,   
mockingly. The first soldier to make a dash for it exploded on the   
spot.  
  
"Ouchie. That'll hurt in the morning." Usagi giggled cutely  
as flesh, bones and organs were pasted like a pate' on the walls.  
She avoided the mess entirely through the use of a simple   
forcefield. No point getting her already ruined school uniform any  
dirtier with someone else's mess. She crossed her arms and stared  
at the remaining soldiers, some of whom had dropped their guns and  
were scrabbling against the wall, cowering in fear.  
  
"Is that it? Is that all you've got?" Usagi looked   
disappointed. She snapped her fingers and watched as the soldiers  
fell to the ground, their bodies expanding from within. They  
clutched at themeselves in a comically pathetic attempt at holding  
themselves together. Then they started to split.   
  
They too, exploded. They oozed across the floor, their   
constituent materials being reduced to a oozing red soup that Usagi  
disdainfully turned from.  
  
She looked at the inner door. "Time to see where I am and   
what's going on." She strolled, almost skipping, into the corridor   
beyond.  
  
----o  
  
"Hoo, what a large fridge...." VesVes said as she and Rei  
placed Chibiusa's shell in the vegetable crisper. "Didn't know  
they made them this big."  
"Nor were they quite meant to store people's bodies." Rei  
replied, cynically.  
"This isn't a body. Its a shell."  
"Same difference."  
"Oh, bullshit. Have you ever seen a body that looks like  
a lump of jelly?"  
  
Rei had to admit, she had a point there. She had managed to  
loacte a segment of sheet metal from one of the two garden sheds  
that sat alongside the surprisingly large house. They then   
carefully slipped the metal underneath the shell and carted it  
inside. Rei found the way the shell quivered to be quite   
nauseating.  
  
"Not recently, no." She replied, dumbly.  
"Shutup, then." Rei huffed and stepped back as VesVes closed  
the doors of the huge walk-in fridge. "They must be rich to afford  
something of this size."  
  
"So what do we do now?" Rei crossed her arms, staring at   
VesVes intently. The other girl shrugged.  
"Well, we've got that in a safe place for the time being."   
She pointed to the fridge. "And Cere and that Makowhatsit chick  
are looking after the old woman. I guess that means we can wait."  
  
"What is Aoi... Your boss, going to do in the pool?"  
"Try and coax that dumb ass Mercury from the water. Can't  
believe she did something like that. Still, she was under the   
influence of narcotics, so I guess she's not entirely to blame."  
  
Rei sneered. "Alright then, mind telling me why you're still  
alive? I thought we'd rid ourselves of you."  
"Ah, sealed us away. There's a big difference there."  
"And Aoi... Your boss, released you?"  
"Indeed she did. What happened to that Nephrenia woman,   
anyway? I haven't seen her round lately."  
"We dealt with her."  
"Ah, like you deal with everyone, eh? Shoot first, ask   
questions later."  
"No, not quite like that."  
"What? You mean you showed her some compassion?"  
  
Rei was about to attempt a damn good thrashing on VesVes when  
CereCere entered the kitchen. "It would appear the good doctor has  
recovered sufficiently. Your friend, Makoto, is explaining, as best  
as she can, all the information that is known to us." Her voice was  
frustratingly soft.  
  
"Oh, thats just great." Rei threw her hands in the air.  
"Would one of you mind telling me what the hell is going on?" She  
looked from VesVes to CereCere and back.  
"Should we?" CereCere asked in her maddening whisper.  
"Nahhh." VesVes replied. Rei could have screamed.  
  
"I can't just stand here, not doing anything. I want to know  
what the hell is happening. Who is your boss, anyway? Better  
still, what the hell is she? A senshi?"  
  
"She is immeasurably more powerful than a mere senshi."   
CereCere said softly. She crossed her hands in front of her, for  
all the world looking like an innocent wallflower. For some reason,  
this only proceeded to piss Rei off more.  
  
"What do you MEAN, more powerful than a senshi? We're the  
inner circle of the Kingdom, as we understand it."  
  
"So are we, and not as you would understand it, since that was  
never our role. We are the Asteroid Senshi. We are the radical  
element within the inner ranks. Such things as duty and blind  
loyalty are anathema to us." VesVes put her hands on her hips.  
"We are the dark operatives within the core of the senshi,  
ready to supplant the outer senshi should they fail, or be turned   
from the Queen or Queen elect against their will." CereCere   
continued with typical serenity.  
  
Rei scratched her head. "YOU are senshi? Like us, I mean?"  
  
CereCere smiled. "Indeed we are. But no, not like you."  
  
Rei sneered. "Rather elitist, aren't you?"  
  
"We ARE an elite. You may have beaten us when we were under  
the control of the circus, but believe me, you have not seen the  
full extent of our power and abilities." VesVes said flatly. Rei  
looked from one to the next and shook her head.  
  
"I cannot believe you are senshi, and I cannot believe that  
what you are doing.... whatever you are doing.... is for some   
positive benefit. I'm going to find Setsuna. Don't try and stop me."  
  
"We won't. We don't care if you get yourself killed." VesVes  
shrugged. "Its the biggest mistake your kind makes in this   
situation. Your minds have been warped by another force, and   
instead of sticking together, you're all running off half-cocked to  
an early demise."  
"What do you mean, our minds have been warped by another   
force?" The pair rolled their eyes.  
  
"She does ask a lot of questions, does she not?" CereCere   
blinked as she turned to VesVes. her compnaion smiled.  
"Thats because she's more stupid than the others. Wants to  
know everything right now, cutting to the quick. Sooner or later  
she is going to discover there are no absolutes in this existence."  
"She may well be dead before that time comes."  
"Its a possibility."  
  
Rei just shook her head, disbelieving the calmness of the   
discussion. The impassivity.... Almost as if she wasn't there to  
hear what they were saying.  
  
"That's it. I'm going to Setsuna's. You two are completely  
round the twist, you know that?" Rei threw a hand in the air and  
turned from them, walking from the kitchen towards the front hall of  
the house, ignoring CereCere's parting comment.  
  
"Sometimes those who are mad can see through the bullshit that  
the sane use to cloud their judgement."  
  
As they listened to the front door slam, CereCere turned to  
VesVes. "Do you think it might be wise to follow her?"  
  
"It may be." VesVes shrugged. "It is almost guarenteed,  
the members of the inner circle are going to be trouble magnets."  
  
"Then abide by your instincts." CereCere turned back to the  
lounge doorway and disappeared. VesVes closed her eyes and took a  
deep breath.  
  
----o  
  
"Naiad-sama! Where are you?" Naru fell to her knees beside  
yet another column. It was harder to get around them now, there   
were just so many. She also noticed that it was getting darker.   
She looked up, trying to define where the light was coming from.   
Above her, the sky was black, with only the horizon glowing an   
attractive pink-mauve. That which she could see over the columns,   
of course.  
  
She stuggled on, the forest of columns got thicker as she  
began to clamber around and through the gaps that became rarer and  
rarer. A nagging thought entered her mind that she may not be able  
to find her way back if she did reach a point where she couldn't go  
on.  
  
She suppressed the thought, or at least tried to. Visions of  
nightmares she'd had about becoming trapped in small, confined  
spaces with no visible means of escape came to mind. It was  
possibly the worst thing she could have thought of, because they  
came true.  
  
One moment she was squeezing her way through a hole between  
two partially collapsed comlumns. The next, she was lying face  
forward in a small space between a concrete floor and a concrete  
ceiling. She lifted up her head and looked about. The gap just  
seemed to go on forever. She struggled to turn herself around.  
There didn't seem any end to it that way either. She began to  
panic.  
  
"Naiad-sama! Tasukete! TASUKETE!" Tears ran from her eyes  
as she tried to drag herself along in one direction. For some  
reason, the gap between the top and the bottom seemed to be getting   
smaller. Her efforts to move getting harder and harder. Her   
breathing became erratic as she felt her entire body react with  
sheer, blind panic.  
  
"TASUKETE!!!! OH KAMI-SAMA!!!! NAIAD-SAMA!!!! NAIAD-SAMA!!!  
HEEEEELLLLLP!!! HEEEELLLLLLLLLP!" She pulled her body one way and  
the next, trying desperately to pull herself away from the   
decreasing space, but it didn't help. She passed out.  
  
----o  
  
The Usagi sat on top of the trolley bed, laying out what few  
valuables she'd collected in her short time. As they watched her  
doing this, Minako and Hotaru had tossed a coin to see which one  
was going to do the deed of killing her.  
  
Hotaru lost.  
  
"You know, I find this utterly distasteful and repugnant. Why  
the hell are we going along with this, anyway?" Hotaru slipped on  
some rubber gloves that Luna and Artemis had found during their  
search of the body room whilst their human companions were   
interviewing the Usagi.  
  
"Because I want to see where this leads." Minako whispered,  
putting up a hand in an effort to stop the Usagi hearing their  
conversation. Hotaru snorted and picked up the high-calibre pistol  
that was stored in one of the lockers within the body room.  
  
"Have YOU ever used one of these before?"  
"Umm... Well, not a real one. I've used one as a threat,  
back when I was overseas, but I've never actually fired one."  
"Exactly. Neither have I. What if it isn't loaded. I dunno  
how to load this thing. And what if it backfires and blows my hand  
off or something like that."  
"Well, in those circumstances, you pray, okay?"  
  
"I'm ready." The Usagi st up staright on the edge of the  
trolley and looked at them expectantly. Hotaru looked at the pistol  
for a couple of moments, then closed her eyes and whispered  
something Minako couldn't hear. Minako turned and saw Luna and  
Artemis watching them from the doorway to the office. Realising  
they had been spotted, they dashed back in. Minako shook her head  
and wandered towards the doorway, just as Hotaru stepped up to   
Usagi.  
  
"Forgive me for this." Hotaru pointed the pistol at the head  
of the Usagi. She smiled and turned aside.  
  
Several moments passed as Hotaru felt her finger squeeze on  
the trigger....  
  
"HOI! HOI! Have you heard?" Hotaru almost sent the shot off  
in surprise as a group of two or three Usagis enetered the room.  
Both she and her client turned to see Minako leaning against a tray  
in shock at their sudden appearance.  
  
"Uh... What is it?" Minako croaked.  
"The Factory.... Its produced a successful Usagi!" Said the  
first of the three.  
"What?" Said Minako.  
"Eh?" Said Hotaru.  
"About bloody time." Said the Usagi client.  
  
"They say she's going to go on display. We're heading up to  
the Factory to have a look. You guys wanna come along?"  
  
Hotaru turned to the client. "Well, do you want to live long  
enough to see her, this 'successful' Usagi?" The pair stared at  
each other for a few moments, and something seemed to pass between  
them.  
"This is not your thing, is it?" The Usagi said. Hotaru  
nodded, mutely. The Usagi smiled and started gathering up her few  
belongings from the trolley, repocketing them. She then stood from  
the trolley and walked away, towards the trio of her clones.  
  
Minako shrugged at Hotaru and followed the Usagis from the  
room as Hotaru sighed, placing the pistol on the trolley. For a few  
moments, she sighed and tore the gloves from her hands. A strangely  
familiar headache coming to her. Regardless of her newfound adult  
state, some of the health aspects she had been fighting with all her  
life hadn't changed. The stress of having to, willingly, kill  
someone, be they real or imagined, had brought this on.  
  
She shook her head to clear it, and was about to follow the  
others from the room, when she was grabbed from behind....  
  
----o  
  
"MINAK...hcch...." Minako, Luna, Artemis and the Usagi client  
had not left the office when they heard Hotaru's stifled cry. All  
four ran back into the body room to find it completely empty.  
  
"Hotaru...." Minako desperately looked around. It was the  
Usagi who spotted the loose ceiling tile.  
"Wasn't she standing there, underneath that." She pointed  
out. Minako shrugged and ran to look up at it. The Usagi followed  
her and pulled her back from underneath the gap as the tile quickly  
slid aside and a dark-suited figure reached down, grabbing for  
Minako but failing....  
  
The figure was that of another Usagi. Minako could see that  
by the hairstyle. She was, however, masked and dressed like a   
stereotyped ninja. For a few moments, the pair stared at each   
other. Then the dark-suited figure disappeared back into the   
ceiling.  
  
Minako had managed to loosen herself from the grip of Usagi,  
trying to give chase. She clambered up onto the trolley and was  
starting to heave herself up into the hole but found Usagi's arms   
wrapped around her legs.  
  
"What are you doing? They've taken Hotaru...."  
"They'll have found an exit on the roof. We can catch up with  
them there."  
"What do you mean, on the roof? How would you know this?"  
"They're like me. At least, they think similarly to me. If I  
were them, I would WANT you to chase me up through the ceiling  
cavity. It would mean I'd have a better chance to nab you unawares  
like they'd nabbed Hotaru."  
Minako crawled down as Usagi gestured back towards the office   
door. "We better hurry, though. They have a head start, but its   
difficult for people as devoid of physical stamina and grace as we   
Usagis to crawl through something like that with any great speed."  
  
"How do you know it is plural, as in 'they', rather than the  
single individual we saw." Minako said as the pair of them ran to  
the door of the office.  
"They're Usagi extremists. They don't like it when different  
people like you arrive in the city. And they never attack alone."  
  
"Different people?"  
"Yes, people like you and Hotaru. And, of course, our Mamo-  
chan. Although the extremists leave him alone. We all love our  
Mamo-chan."  
"Mamo-chan? You mean Chiba Mamoru?"  
"Yes. There is only one of him."  
"But he was back in OUR world when we arrived here. At least,  
he was this time yesterday."  
  
Usagi stared at her. "Thats impossible."  
"Why."  
"Because Mamo-chan has been in this world for the last five   
years."  
  
----o  
  
Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru came to a soft landing in the   
middle of the loungeroom of Jadeite's apartment. Michiru was  
still holding Usagi's comatose body.  
  
After a quick scan of the apartment. They came to the  
conclusion that neither Jadeite nor the Youma-Usagi were about.  
Michiru sat Usagi in a chair and the three of them plonked   
themselves in a cross-legged position in the middle of the carpet.  
  
"Where's PalaPala?" Michiru asked, eventually. "I thought  
she'd transported with us."  
  
"Where indeed." Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "Its always been  
a case of Deus Ex Machina when Asteroid Senshi are involved."  
  
Haruka and Michiru spent several minutes trying to work out  
what Setsuna meant, eventually coming to the conclusion they were  
never meant to understand.  
  
"So, where exactly did your sister send that Youma Usagi   
thing?" Haruka rubbed her eyes, still feeling ill after the  
beating she received.  
"I'm not sure." Setsuna sighed. "I'm afraid its likely that  
Naiad sent her on a random course to who-knows-where, and when.  
That's the great thing about the Dream Ambience Virulence, you never  
quite know how its going to work out."  
  
"So what do you think is Jadeite's handle in all this?"   
Michiru raised an eyebrow. Setsuna smiled.  
"I think he's just begun to realise how much of a puppet he  
has been to her. Its extremely likely that she engineered his  
involvement in the first place."  
"What? To create the Youma-Usagi?"  
"Regardless of what the Gray Queen may do to innocents, having   
a version of Usagi whose powers are a combination of two great and   
opposing forces, and who has nothing to hold her back in using them,  
can be a great asset when it comes to fighting a greater foe."  
  
"As in who?" Haruka and Michiru stared at her.  
  
"Well, it goes back to the formation of the Kingdom, when our  
ancestors first cross-bred with humans to create what we are   
today...."  
  
----o  
  
When Naru woke, she found herself in an empty white room. No  
doors or windows. Just four walls and a lightbulb. The light was  
on, but occasionally flashed, threatening to plunge her into  
darkness. She sat up from the floor and stared around her. There  
didn't seem to be anyway she could have got in here. She knocked  
on the floor. Solid concrete.  
  
She stood and walked to one of the walls, touching it softly.  
For a moment it seemed to yield to her pressure. Then she applied  
greater pressure, and it solidified. She desperately pressed, hit  
and shouldered the wall, to no avail.  
  
She stood in the middle of the room. There was no way in and  
no way out. She was trapped in here, perhaps forever. And if the  
light went out she would be plunged into eternal darkness.  
  
Once more, it was a stupid thing for her to think.  
  
The light went out. She couldn't see a thing. She screamed  
at the top of her lungs and ran, headlong into one of the walls.  
She fell to the floor, slightly dazed, but got back to her feet  
quickly. She stared around, trying desperately to see something,  
anything.  
  
To her surprise, she did. There seemed to be a soft glow  
emanating from the walls.... No, coming through the walls.  
Whatever these walls were made from, it wasn't solid. Then a  
thought entered her mind.... All these things had no more substance  
than a mere concept. A little logic applied to the situation  
should easily break through the apparent reality. She reached  
forward to one of the walls with both her hands and pressed gently.  
  
The wall gave way, tearing like fabric.... No, it was more  
than that. The wall tore like flesh... Soft, pink flesh. Naru did  
her best to keep that thought from her mind lest it create something  
even worse.  
  
She stepped from what appeared to be a cube made of a fleshy  
substance into a huge white dome that glowed with a soft blue light.  
The light shone in through portals, hollowed out around the sides of   
the dome's organic, bone-like structure.  
  
Naru rubbed her eyes and stared with disbelief. There were  
odd motifs that ran all along the spinal sections of the dome.  
Strange figures she had never seen before, but for some reason felt  
familiar. The figures were not human.... No way were they human,  
and yet this feeling of familarity seemed to be strong.... She had  
met these beings before. Where? Where?  
  
She shook her head and stepped away from the fleshy cube, only  
then realising that she was wearing a long, regal gown. Serenity's  
gown. The fabric was soft and light, more than anything she had  
experienced before. A strange sensation ran down her spine. This  
whole situation felt like kind of birth. Her birth, into a new  
life.  
  
She strode forward as a segment of the dome in front of her  
opened up. Beyond lay.... Blueness. That was all she could see.  
A warm yet cold blueness. Like the hottest flame. Like the coldest  
ice. Blue.... It was everything, all at once.  
  
She could see figures standing out in the hot-cold mist,   
waiting for her to emerge. Purposefully, she strode towards the   
exit.  
  
As she stepped outside the dome she felt a breeze against her  
face. She looked up into the sky as if the light raining down on  
her was the first she had ever experienced.  
  
"ALL BOW TO QUEEN TRANQUILITY." Siad an authoritive voice.  
Naru looked down to see twelve figures, all women dressed in   
ceremonial costume, bowing to her. The closest, a redheaded   
firebrand with light brown skin and deep black eyes, stared up at  
her with a frenetic devotion.  
  
"Your majesty... Your emergence from the coccoon has sealed  
your worthiness to become Queen. You are no longer merely a Queen  
in name, the replacement for the former candidate, but a Queen in  
nature. We, the Mikotai, recognise you as our truthful ruler."  
  
Naru stared from one Miko to the next, confused and dazed as  
she felt her hand being taken by the readhead and guided from the  
mouth of the dome carefully. She took in her surroundings. In the  
sky was a giant blue orb... A blue star, casting an unearthly glow  
onto a field that could, otherwise, have been on Earth. The sky  
was, however, black. None of the wan blue gentleness of Earth's  
sky.  
  
She turned and looked behind her. From here, she could now  
see the dome. Looking for all the world like a beehive, it sat  
alone on the edge of a dark forest. Slowly, the opening from which  
she had emerged closed and sealed.  
  
She watched it seal with a strange finality, then turned to  
face the other members of the Mikotai. And the first face she saw  
was one she recognised....  
  
"It is time for you to choose which amongst us you wish to  
perform your inauguration." The redhead announced proudly, and was  
surprised when Naru spoke.  
"Naiad...." Naru stepped forward to the blue-haired woman  
with the trident staff. "Naiad-sama... What is going on?"  
  
The blue-haired woman stood in the middle of the group, as  
surprised as the rest by Naru's sudden break with protocol. She  
eventually came to her senses enough to speak.  
  
"Is it that our Queen chooses the Water Miko of the Third  
Refrain to perform the inauguration?" Naiad stared blankly at  
Naru, who stared back with an equivalent expression.  
  
Naru felt a strange sinking feeling overcoming her. She  
looked from one Miko to the next, and all of their faces were  
recognisable. Toros, Circe, Scylla, Atlas, Narcissa, Nereid, Diana,   
Pan, Arachne, Psyche and Ares. The Mikos of the First, Second and  
Third Refrains, all together in the one place at the one time. And  
deep inside she knew that this moment was an incipient memory.  
  
She turned back to Naiad, who awaited her answer. She raised  
a hand to take Naiad by the arm.  
  
And only then realised that hers was not a human hand.  
  
END OF PART 8  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
This chapter has had everything going against it being  
written. 1. Writers block. I knew what I wanted to do, and yet  
didn't quite know how to do it. 2. Too many plot threads vying  
for attention. With so many characters going in so many different  
directions, you have to expect one to lose the plot sooner or  
later. 3. Real Life. Whilst writing this chapter I underwent an  
operation to remove (surgically) my well-imbedded wisdom teeth.  
My frame of mind before, during and after lead to this chapter  
being written the way it has. And as with chapter 7, I'm not  
happy with it. In my mind, its lacks the spontaneity of the  
early chapters. But then, this IS chapter 8, and we're well  
into the meat of the story now. All I can hope is that people  
vaguely follow what is going on, because this chapter lets out a  
hell of a lot in terms of the plot in a VERY roundabout way. Its  
a wonder what one will think off when slowly recovering from an  
anaesthetic....  
  
Of course, you may think this chapter is legendary. I  
certainly hope so. I'd hate to think I've gone through as much  
torment as I have this past week without something rubbing off.  
  
You get your opportunity to tell me by posting your comments,  
criticisms and other scurrilous rantings to   
darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
Remember, flattery will get you everywhere. And comments  
telling me I'm not doing enough with certain characters could see  
them dead, half-dead or just about to die ^_^  
  
In the next chapter, the spirit of the REAL Usagi, and her  
newfound friends, the Sailor Animates, stop at a village frequented  
by other nefarious travelling lowlifes, including a Madam who wields  
an unusual amount of power.  
Hotaru is tortured by the Usagi extremists, but is it a plot  
by the city to force the darker side of Saturn to emerge? And for  
what reason?  
The Youma Usagi finds her way back to the ruined shrine, and  
a fateful confrontation with Rei, Jadeite, VesVes and.... herself.  
And Naru discovers a few things about the heritage of the  
Silver Millenium she'd never thought possible. Will both she and   
Naiad be able to convince Ami to return from the water?  
  
I can't guarentee to answer all of these questions, but I'll  
try.  
  
DDFA 


	9. Part 9: Transcendental Methodology

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 9  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
IRC: Mappy^_^ (or PsychoBathplug) on DALnet's #AJAS  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so  
these characters really belong to them, except ones I made up, in  
which case, if I see anyone using them, I'll murder ya! In the  
nicest possible way, of course. ^_^  
  
Part Nine  
Transcendental Methodology  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
  
She skipped across the grass field with patent joy. There   
were very few moments like this in her existence, free of the   
constraints of the physical world, the objectional avatars of the   
soul, those bodies. Their foul and foetid presences no longer a   
part of the world in which she lived. And she enjoyed it fully.  
  
She hummed a tune. For some reason, the lyrics escaped her.  
Something about visions, dancing in her mind. It appealed to her,   
the song. Its notes emanated the blue glow she so desired.  
  
Naiad had always had a synesthesic quality about her. One of  
the reasons, she believed, so few people understood her. She was a  
Water Miko, as changeable and as malleable, yet as impossible to   
grasp, as the element itself. And with that came a total cross-  
matching of her senses. The capacity to taste colours, see sounds,   
hear light.... If people truly understood the sensory kaleidescope   
and overload she was enduring, then perhaps the strangeness of her   
being might not be so threatening.  
  
Maybe.  
  
Of course, Naiad had spent much of her existence helping to  
build her reputation as someone for whom it was wise NOT to know.  
It meant that she could be left alone to her own devices. To  
contemplate the greater issues, of philosophy, of the nature of her  
existence. Because she was the last of the Mikotai's circle, she  
carried within her a little piece of the previous eleven, mixed in  
with something uniquely her own. It left her with a unique   
perspective of that aspect of life that everyone feared.... Being  
the last of the Mikotai, she represented the final moments of life,  
and the understanding and acceptance of mortality that people during  
these moments come to see, even if not entirely wish for. Death.  
The end of the cycle. Before the rebirth upon the cycle's renewal.  
  
In her mind, she had found the need, the desire, to force  
people into this realisation.... To find the answers to all of the  
questions they ask about themselves. To round off their lives in a  
state of total completion. Everyone must know the TRUTH.  
  
For she knew the truth without the necessity of a lifetime.  
And it left her feeling robbed of something people spent their lives  
searching for. And so she spent much of her existence, both with  
body and without, trying to discover why she had to endure this  
torment by hurrying others along in their realisation. It may have  
been an intrinsic dichotomy that someone who knew it all should not  
know why they did. The subject passed through her mind more than  
often, and was washed away with the tides of the present.  
  
  
It was only after several years of being the Miko that she had  
first encountered the annoyance of The Monster. It wanted her to  
become part of it and wouldn't let her go. She used magic on it,  
and damaged it, injured it. But it wouldn't give up. It wouldn't  
leave her alone. And she liked being alone.  
  
And so she began to torment it back, driving it near insane.  
The benefit of her powers being so strongly mind-based. She enjoyed  
its fury, its pleading, its despair and its rage. It could do  
nothing to her back that it hadn't already tried. Then she gave it  
the final slap in the face by slaughtering her body. From there on  
it had no avatar to lock onto. She was free. But she knew that,  
one day, it may try again, on someone else....  
  
  
It wasn't until it was too late that she saw the memory wave.  
She attempted to make a backflip but found that, without her  
figurative feet being on the figurative ground, she had no force  
upon which to apply. She flew into the memory wave and disappeared.  
To reappear....  
  
----o  
  
Jadeite's apartment had been turned into something of a  
discussion room for the three seated outer senshi. At least, that  
was what it seemed to be to Setsuna.  
  
"Are you trying to tell us we aren't human?" Haruka blurted  
out. "I mean, I know we aren't human in comparison to a 'normal'  
person, but I find the concept that our souls are intrinsically  
foreign to this world, this system, a bit hard to take."  
Setsuna nodded patiently. "Yes, well, that was the point of  
it all, really. To become a part of this world, this system, we had  
to cross-breed ourselves with the native population. That was the  
way by which we were capable of harnessing the elemental energies  
that this system had to offer. Before that, we were relying on the  
residual powers of our homeworld, susceptible to attack from   
virtually any power competent enough. We were a race of colonists,  
determined to spread out the colonial empire. The problem was, with  
this system, we got more than we bargained for."  
  
"A wild system, fighting tooth and nail to prevent our mastery  
of it." Michiru nodded. Setsuna smiled. There were times when  
Michiru seemed to be regaining full control of her powers of mind.   
If only she would do something about her 'shoot first, ask questions   
later' personality she and Haruka seemed to use altogether too   
often.  
  
"Indeed, that would seem to be the case. It was only with the  
continuing link to the homeworld that we were able to contain the  
forces of which this system contained.... When that link was  
broken, we were lost. It lead to the downfall of the Kingdom, the  
rise of Beryl... The system's ultimate revenge against us."  
"But why would it turn against us so?" Haruka scratched her  
head.  
"Because we're like parasites, sucking up its energies for our  
own purposes. In other more forgiving systems, we were able to use  
the powers without having them blow up in our faces. Here, at any  
given moment, the elements which control our powers could swallow us  
up."  
  
Haruka and Michiru pondered over this for a few moments.   
Setsuna stood and stepped over to the window. It was dark   
outside now. She wondered, knowing what she knew was going   
to happen, whether the city would see another day. "Whatever the   
casemay be, the enemy we face now is a more nebulous one than the   
Youma Usagi."  
  
"This 'Eternal City' you mentioned?" Michiru asked softly.  
"Indeed." Setsuna paused for several moments. "I think my  
sister was the first to encounter it. No, that's not technically  
correct.... The Eternal City was a by-product of the creation of  
the Kingdom.... One and a half million years ago."  
Both Haruka and Michiru spluttered in disbelief.  
  
"But I thought the Kingdom was no more than a thousand, or  
maybe even two-thousand, years old upon its collapse." Haruka  
exclaimed.  
"What is the difference between a thousand years and a million  
years to a race of people for whom time is of no consequence? The  
only moments that seem to pass with any surety are the formation  
years of each individual. Once the process of aging has ceased,  
then the concept of time as an existent has no meaning. We were  
born, we lived, and we died in perpetual youth, our souls being  
reborn into another generation. It is unknown for many where their  
souls truly originated, or how many lives they have lived since that  
time. In my case, I can remember at least fifteen individual lives,  
including the one that saw out the fall of the Kingdom and the  
subsequent history of this planet. But that, in no way, means I  
have lived only fifteen lives. Memories of each life are, but  
rarely, complete."  
  
"I believe, if my dreams are anything to go by, that I have  
lived through but eight.... Either my soul is young, by this scale,  
or I'm an infrequent visitor to the land of the living." Michiru  
shrugged. "And anyway, that doesn't explain the Eternal City. What  
were the forces that brought it into existence?"  
"The formation of the Kingdom in the first place. The fusing  
of our powers of elemental mastery with the elemental forces of this  
system. Each fusion creates elemental and magical garbage, most of  
which dissipates with time. But this being no ordinary system, a  
portion of this garbage formed an Escher-like dimension that   
literally folds over upon itself, completely devoid of a termination  
or horizon. Within this dimension, there were amino acids which the  
garbage energies sparked into life. This life evolved into various  
species, finally culminating in the domination of the dimension by  
just two.... The Eternal City and The Destroyers, both of whom are   
at war with each other."  
  
"Why? Why are they fighting with each other?" Haruka bit her  
lower lip, finally able to grasp something that Setsuna was telling  
her. She didn't understand all this psychobabble inter-dimensional  
talk. But conflict, and war, now that was something she understood  
VERY well.  
  
"Its a kind of philosophical war, a battle between the will of  
the individual, and the will of the collective. The Destroyers  
represent individual entities and The Eternal City is a collective  
conciousness."  
"So why did the city form in the first place. I mean, it is  
kind of unusual that a lifeform should choose to take the appearance  
of a city as its physical body."  
"Remember what we were trying to create when we were fusing  
ourselves with the elemental energies... A Kingdom. Complete with  
things like the Palace, the Academy, the offices of the Bureaucracy,  
the Seminary and the temples of worship, houses, public amenities,  
the full gamut of infrastructure that came with our presence. It  
was the will to create these things that gave birth to the mind, the  
conciousness, of the Eternal City. To it, the construction of a  
city utilising its own body was the ultimate sacrifice. Now it  
demands a populace by which it can properly defend itself from the  
attacks of the Destroyers."  
"And so it will start picking us off, one by one, to populate  
its body...." Michiru rubbed her chin.  
"Us to begin with, yes.... It requires beings of great power  
initially, to help make the dimension safe for those more vulnerable  
from attacks by the Destroyers. But, eventually, it will plunder  
this world, and perhaps others, in its obssessive desire to fill  
itself up.... To ensure that its sacrifice was not in vain."  
  
Haruka and Michiru stood, glancing over at the comatose body  
of Usagi, still sitting in the lounge chair.  
  
"So what does this have to do with us being influenced into  
killing Usagi? For all intents and purposes, she's the most   
powerful of us all. She should have been the City's first target."  
Michiru seemed to be in the mood to ask all the right questions.  
  
"Indeed, she was. But she was killed, wasn't she? And that  
means the City will have to pick on someone less stable, but almost  
as powerful." Setsuna glanced aside at them. "When I first   
encountered my sister, I suspected that that person may be me.  
There was a moment there where it seemed the City was coming for me,  
but it gave up...." She chuckled. "It found someone more   
interesting to play with. Exceptionally powerful. And very, very,  
very unstable, it shall find to its chagrin."  
  
Haruka and Michiru looked at each other for a moment. Haruka  
shrugged and Michiru turned back to Setsuna.  
  
"Its Hotaru, isn't it?"  
  
Setsuna said nothing. That was enough of an answer for   
Michiru. Haruka rubbed her eyes with one hand. All this was making  
her headache worse.  
  
"It will try to unlock the powers that exist deep within the  
soul of Saturn, and pay the price of its mistake with its utter  
annhialation."  
"That is what my sister is hoping. That's why she had us kill  
Usagi in the first place. That's why she had Jadeite create the  
Youma Usagi, as well. If Saturn fails, the Youma Usagi most   
certainly shall not."  
  
"You mean.... It was your sister that made us kill Usagi in  
the first place?" Haruka stared at Setsuna.  
"By implanting those visions of death in mu mind, that I  
spread to you like she knew I would."  
"Whose side is she on? Is she trying to destroy us or the  
Eternal City? If the Youma succeeds in destroying the City, she'll  
come after US. End of Crystal Tokyo, seeya next time, boyo."   
Haruka shook her head disbelievingly. "What's she going to do then,  
eh?"  
"Probably kill it herself. You seem to forget, in her current  
non-corporeal state, virtually anyone can be her body. Even us.   
Try the thought of combining her powers with one of ours."  
  
Haruka tried her best not to.  
  
"And anyway, who said she even cared about sides. She's on  
her own side. She's never had anyone she could call a friend.   
Well... Maybe one."  
"Who?" Michiru raised an eyebrow.  
"Someone who had been a succesful Alternative Candidate. You  
know.... In the position Naru finds herself at the moment. They  
apparently met when they were in prepatory school, and continued  
this friendship into the Kingdom's Elemental Academy. Her name was  
Tranquility Khurishnaan...."  
  
----o  
  
Naru stared at the inhuman hand that was now hers. She  
quivered as if she were going to scream.  
"Hoi.... Het a hold of yourself." Hands placed on her  
shoulders from behind. She turned to see a Miko, Nereid, standing   
on the step behind her, staring at her in concern.  
  
"My hand..." She croaked.  
"What is it? What do you see?" She turned back to the woman  
who looked like Naiad, standing before her. The woman seemed   
fascinated with her plight. She frowned, then looked back at the  
hand. It was a human once more.  
"I'm sure.... I..." She shook her head and felt dizzy.  
  
"It must be an after-effect of the process." Narcissa, the   
Fire Miko of the Second Refrain commented. The woman with long   
golden hair and similar robes turned to her fellow Fire Miko, Ares.   
"It has happened before."  
  
Ares nodded. "With Queen Procellarius...." the conversation  
seemed to end there. Naru wasn't quite sure why. Whatever happened  
to this Queen Procellarius was obviously not a hot topic of  
conversation for the Mikotai.  
  
"It changes nothing." Yet another of the Miko, Scylla, piped  
up. Scylla's robes glittered in the blue light of this world's sun  
with an attractive silver, which dazzled Naru for a few moments.  
"My Queen.... Your choice of one amongst us that you may wish to  
handle the service of your coronation... Would your choice be a  
Miko of Water?"  
  
"I'm not sure." Naru had the distinct impression that, no  
matter who she chose, someone would be insulted. "I was confused,  
my reaction was to go to someone I recognised easily." Scylla  
looked disappointed. "I shall give it a thought." Naru did her  
best to smile.  
  
"Hah! A Queen who prefers the element of water. It has been  
a while since there was one of those, eh, Scylla?" Ares snorted  
derisively. Scylla turned to her with a half-smile on her face.  
"What are you afraid of, Ares? Losing the influence over the  
throne that you Fire Miko used to hold?"  
"What's wrong, Scylla? Feeling the bitterness of all those  
years your element has been ignored? I don't see either of your  
compatriots defending you." Diana looked from Naiad to Arachne.  
Arachne gave her the finger. It was best NOT to read anything into  
Naiad's expression.  
  
"Oh stop it. This pathetic, childish bickering will not get  
us anywhere." Naru shook her head. "I shall make my choice all in  
good time, and when it is made there will be NO argument about who  
has been sleighted, very well?"  
  
There was a soft chorus of "Yes my Queen". Naru smiled and  
shook her head sadly.  
"All these arguments are pointless. It is only the   
coronation. Only the opening stanza of my reign. Whomsoever I may  
choose, it does not mean I favour anyone." She paused for dramatic  
effect. There were times when her limited training in amateur  
theatrics came in handy. "Now, the Chancellor is awaiting news of  
my emergence, let us enlighten him with my presence, shall we?" She  
didn't know HOW she knew that. All she knew was that she knew.  
Like a memory imposed upon her mind, not her own and yet her own.  
  
The Mikotai nodded their approval, and the group left the  
garden of the dome, making their way towards an awaiting transport.  
In the distance, looming over the horizon, was a massive palacial  
structure. Lights glimmered from it like tiny eyes, staring  
unblinkingly down at them. Its massive architecture was hidden in  
the shadows of the blackened sky.... Naru stepped up onto the  
platform entrance of the transport as guards, manning the entrance,  
bowed to her. she turned to gaze at the blue star, now low on the  
horizon. Ares and Arachne joined her.  
"The star of night is about to fall." Ares murmured, slowly  
turning to the opposite horizon. "Soon the star of day shall arise.  
Then this land will bloom into its full beauty."  
  
Naru turned to follow Ares directions. A golden glow,   
glimmering brighter than any pre-dawn sunlight she had ever seen  
before, was filling up the horizon sky, growing larger with every  
visible moment. It filled Naru with a warmth she had not felt  
before, or at least, not for a very long time.  
  
"It is good to be back on the Homeworld once more."  
  
----o  
  
"Where are you going?"  
"Leave me alone."  
"Why? I'm not annoying you, am I?"  
"Your very presence is annoying."  
"Thats not very nice."  
"It wasn't meant to be."  
"And here I was, trying to be nice to you."  
"I doubt it."  
"Why?"  
"Because that would have required a major lifestyle change."  
"Gee.... You're funny. I think I like you."  
"Pity the feeling isn't mutual."  
  
Rei had found her way to Setsuna's private apartment. The  
older senshi had only moved in within the last couple of months,  
and it was most certainly impressive, set above her fashion design  
studio. She had stormed through the dark streets with the scarlet-  
haired Fury following her, badgering her with inanities, after she  
had stormed from Ami's house. The sensation of being totally  
helpless in that situation.... The need to find someone who may  
be more capable of helping them... To retrieve Ami from the  
watery grave into which she had cast herself... And Naru, and  
that bizarre Kikotsuka woman... Even if it WAS someone as strange  
as Setsuna...  
  
In truth, Rei didn't know why she was standing outside  
Setsuna's apartment. She just needed to do something, anything, to  
help Ami. That damned fool of a girl.  
  
She leaned against the wall beside the stairway that lead to  
the front entrance and sighed. A light rain began to fall as she  
slid down the wall, eventually sitting. Her tormentor stood  
opposite her, staring, hands behind her back.  
  
"VesVes..." She muttered.  
"Hmm?" The girl replied.  
"Your boss... Aoi... Whatsername?"  
"Naiad-sama."  
"Yes, Naiad. Is she really capable of retrieving Ami from  
the pool?"  
"If anyone can do it, she can. Her connection to the element  
of water is greater than Mizuno-san."  
  
There was an irony.... Mizu...no Ami's name dripped the  
element by which she lived. And yet.... This girl was telling her  
that Ami was not quite as adept at controlling her elemental powers   
as others. Rei lifted her head up to meet the increasing rain.  
  
"You were right, you know. It was going to rain."  
"Good thing we got the shell in a safe place, then."  
"I hope Ami's mother isn't intending to use any of the  
vegetable to make dinner tonight. It'll be hard to explain the  
Chibiusa jelly mould in the vegetable crisper"  
"And here I was, thinking you had no sense of humour." VesVes  
chuckled to herself. "Well, now we're here, should we knock on the  
door. I'm a tad averse to standing in the rain. You never know  
what's falling from the sky in Tokyo."  
"No point."  
"Why not?"  
"The lights are out. She's not in. Neither the apartment,  
nor the studio."  
"So what are we going to do? Go back?"  
"Not me. I'm gonna stay here until she shows up."  
  
VesVes shrugged. "Have it your own way." She walked up the  
steps to the front door, and casually blew it open with a minor  
spell. She turned back to Rei, who stared at her with an open   
mouth. "I'm going to stay where its dry. A girl's gotta look after  
herself, you know." VesVes then promptly disappeared inside.  
  
Rei sighed, and found herself becoming increasingly unhappy  
with the fact that she was getting soaked. Slowly, she stood and  
started her way up the steps.  
  
"Reeeeiiiii....." The voice was familiar. She paused, a  
tingling sensation running down her spine. She turned around,  
looking towards the street. Down the street. Where a figure was  
standing, silhouetted under a streetlight.  
  
Usagi.  
  
She found herself up against the wall very quickly, blinking  
to make sure she was seeing what she was seeing. It was too late,  
the figure was gone.  
  
Gone. Gone where? Was that really her? She'd been told that  
Usagi was alive again. Maybe that was her.... Chasing her....  
Taunting her with her presence. Or perhaps it was.... Rei couldn't  
be sure anymore. She ran down the steps, almost slipping at one  
stage, then down into the street. She had to find Usagi.... Had to  
make sure it was her.  
  
VesVes realised, too late, that Rei wasn't following her in  
through the open doorway. She had an inkling that something was  
wrong as she was raiding Setsuna's fridge. With a cutlet hanging  
from her mouth, she stepped back through the doorway to see Rei  
charging down the street like a woman possessed. She spat it from  
her mouth.  
  
"REI! WAIT!" She jumped from the top of the stairs, landing  
perfectly on the ground, then ran into the street. But Rei was  
gone, nowehere to be seen or heard. VesVes let out a cry of  
frustration, stamping her feet on the ground. "Mooooouu! Rei no  
BAKA!"  
  
----o  
  
It had taken all of Makoto's best efforts to convince Ami's  
mother of the truth, about Ami being Mercury, that all her friends  
were the other sailorsenshi, that Ami had merely melded with the  
water in the pool and that someone had followed her in an effort to  
retrieve her.  
  
The woman's mind was frustratingly cold and logical. All the  
events that had lead to her fainting had merely been one illogical  
thing after another that her analytical mind couldn't deal with.  
  
Now she was firing questions at Makoto and CereCere. Well, at  
Makoto, really. CereCere was the very model of calm and calculated  
obscurity and psychosis. It made for a rather frustrated mother.  
  
"Will you just answer the question? Where did my Ami-chan get  
these powers?"  
"You ask that as if she'd bought them at the local discount  
store, and they've just bitten you on the foot." CereCere chuckled.  
"Who is this girl?" Ami's mother pointed at CereCere, the  
question most definitely aimed at Makoto.  
  
Makoto was standing, leaning against the far wall of the   
Mizuno's loungeroom, looking across at Ami's mother, who was sitting   
on the edge of a loungechair. CereCere was standing in the doorway,  
her hands crossed demurely. A perfect three-point pincer movement,  
thought Makoto.  
"Well? Who is she?" Ami's mother repeated as Makoto sighed,  
trying to think of an answer.  
"She's a sailorsenshi.... I think. She wasn't the last time  
I met her."  
"I was so.... Just not applying my powers for the benefit of  
mankind, thats all." CereCere smiled sweetly. Makoto shook her  
head.  
"No, you weren't, were you?"  
"Indeed. But I'm over that stage now. I just had to work out  
some of my agression and frustrations. At least, that is what my  
doctor says."  
"That still doesn't answer my question as to who she is."   
Ami's mother had just about had enough of the inane rambling of the  
redhead.  
"Well, how would you have her answer it? In her normal voice,  
or a funny little high-pitched whine?"  
"CereCere, that is ENOUGH. She's worried about her daughter."  
"If she had been so worried about her daughter, why did she  
GIVE HER THE DRUGS THAT PUT HER IN THE STATE OF MIND THAT MADE HER  
DO WHAT SHE DID?!?!?!!!" CereCere levelled this very loud question  
straight at Ami's mother. The woman leaned back in the chair,  
surprised at the sudden loud ferocity of CereCere's voice. Even  
Makoto was stunned. She'd watched CereCere's expression change as  
the words flew from her mouth... The almost unbelievable demure  
serenity replaced by wide-eyed insanity. The change was so sudden  
and dramatic that she found the next few words hard to get out.  
  
"Th... there's no reason t..t..to be so nasty about it..."  
"Oh isn't there?" CereCere's head turned slowly to Makoto,  
the expression unchanged. "Then let me tell you something. In  
approximately two minutes, there will be police walking through the  
front door of this house, because Ami gave away just about  
everything you did to Usagi to her mother. This wonderful woman  
has helped to make things just that little bit more complex for  
the plans of my boss. And it will be exceptionally difficult to  
explain to them what the hell is going on when she emerges from  
the pool with Naru and Ami. Do you know what I'll now have to do  
to those nice police people to keep them out of the way?"  
  
"Are you trying to tell me that you girls really DID kill  
Tsukino-san?" Ami's mother stared at Makoto in disbelief. "But  
that... That's... horrible... evil..." She turned back to  
CereCere as Makoto stood away from the wall, staring intently at  
the Asteroid Senshi. "What are you going to do with the police?  
What the hell CAN you do?"  
  
Ami's mother watched with frightened fascination as the two  
girls stared each other out.  
"You wouldn't dare..." Makoto said through clenched teeth.  
"Dare what? Kill them?" CereCere sneered.  
"You would, wouldn't you?" Makoto took a step forward.  
"Who are you to be lecturing? Aren't you someone who   
conspired to murder a one-time friend?" CereCere lifted up a hand,  
gesturing with two fingers for Makoto to 'come on then'. "They are  
just your normal, average humans. In the ultimate scheme of things,  
they don't matter very much. If what Naiad-sama says is going to  
happen happens, then there won't be anyone left to mourn them."  
  
Makoto turned aside to Ami's mother. "Mizuno-san, get out of  
here. Warn the police that it could be very dangerous for them to  
come in here."  
"What? What are you two going to do?"  
CereCere turned to Ami's mother and raised a hand. "You are  
going NOWHERE." Makoto leapt at CereCere and plowed into her, just  
as a beam of energy flew from the girl's hand, missing its target.  
Ami's mother let out a scream as the wall behind her collapsed.  
  
"MIZUNO-SAN! GET OUT OF HERE NOW!!!!" Ami's mother stared  
out at the garden where the loungeroom wall used to be. She didn't  
need any convincing as Makoto and CereCere wrestled on the floor.  
She scarpered through the new exit and dashed across the lawn to the  
front gate where there was a vehicle pulling up in the street.  
  
"LET ME GO, YOU FOOL!"  
"I WON'T LET YOU KILL ANYONE!"  
"DAMN YOU! I DON'T WANT TO KILL YOU, TOO, BUT I WILL IF YOU  
CONTINUE!" Makoto gripped her hands around CereCere's throat.  
"Just you TRY, you crazy BITCH!" Makoto stared madly into  
CereCere's eyes as the redhead drooled from the side of her mouth.  
"Look.... It was... just a... joke... okay? I didn't really  
mean... it..." CereCere's face was turning as red as her hair as  
she struggles against Makoto's grip. The other girl relaxed  
slightly.  
"After what you just fired off? I don't believe you."  
"Yeah..." CereCere smiled as she knocked Makoto's hands   
aside. "I was lying." CereCere pulled back her fist and gave  
Makoto a full sock across the face. The force of the blow was  
greater than anything Makoto had felt before, and it was only the  
fact that she had mumbled her transformation spiel in the moments  
before the punch collected that she was saved from having her neck  
broken. Her body was thrown clean through the far wall of the  
loungeroom, through the bathroom and into the back yard, where she  
landed on the lawn, flat on her back. She didn't move from there.  
  
CereCere stood, rubbing her neck with one hand and wiping  
drool from her face with the other. "Jeez, these inner circle  
bitches are so gullible." She turned her head, stretching her neck  
to regain movement.  
  
"Alright, that's enough, whoever you are, don't move." The  
voice came from the hole in the wall behind her. CereCere let out  
a loud sigh and put a hand to her forehead.  
"I'm sorry, officer Rikai, I'm afraid everything is a tad too  
complex here at the moment to have you involved." CereCere turned  
to see Ami's mother, holding on to the arm of a female Detective  
Inspector, standing next to DCI Rikai and two other officers. The  
two had handguns trained on her.  
  
"We've seen what you can do. Don't think of trying that   
against us, or we most certainly will kill you." Rikai put up a  
hand, gesturing to the armed officers. CereCere shrugged.  
"I'm sorry, Mizuno-san. I'm afraid you'll have to go with  
them. It'll mean you'll be safe, for the time-being."  
  
CereCere lifted her hand slightly, and all five disappeared  
in a flash. Slowly, she turned and made her way through the hole  
in the opposite wall, avoiding water that was pouring from the  
bathroom taps, and out into the backyard where Makoto was lying.  
  
"I see you've transformed. Do you really need to transform  
to make use of your powers? I just can't believe you're so weak."  
  
"CereCere, that is enough." The voice came from her left.  
She turned to see JunJun and PalaPala standing at the corner of the  
house. PalaPala seemed confused as to her surroundings, whilst   
JunJun appeared most displeased, arms crossed.  
"Ah, you're back, I see."  
"Yes, and just in time to give you a bit of attitude   
readjustment. You really didn't have to be so overdramatic. A  
simple 'we don't need the police involved, I'm going to send them  
away' would have sufficed."  
"Ah, but that would have lead to further stupid questions,  
such as 'what do you mean, send them away'? I just couldn't have  
been bothered answering them."  
"Because you let your 'other' personality take control, didn't  
you?" JunJun tapped her foot. "You've been through enough therapy  
for this. You may be the nominal leader of the Asteroid Senshi, but  
we may have to review the situation if this happens again."  
"What am I doing here? I'm supposed to be back at Jadeite's  
apartment." PalaPala muttered absently. JunJun clenched her teeth.  
"Because I intercepted your transport, stupid. You weren't  
required there anymore."  
"Yeah, but I left Usagi's body with those 'Outer' bitches."  
"So what?"  
"Setsuna revived her again, but she wasn't there, so to   
speak. Like, the boss was using the body for a while."  
"Yeah, well, the boss probably has her locked away in some  
dumb-ass limbo realm. There are a zillion of them out there."  
  
Makoto chose this moment to sit up, looking dazed. "Oooh,   
what hit me?"  
"I did." CereCere said cheerfully.  
"Just you wait until the world stops spinning. I'm gonna   
spread you like a paste across the lawn." Makoto shook her head to  
try to clear it.  
  
JunJun sighed, putting a hand to her forehead. This was most  
definitely going to be a difficult situation to rectify.  
  
----o  
  
The transport itself was plush. Fur-cushioned seating,  
looking out through a huge window that rose over their heads into  
a central spine. Naru, when she had entered the transport,   
automatically chose a seat close to a window near the back. It was  
only when Ares nudged her that she realised she was being stared at.  
Of course, she thought to herself, the Queen is expected to sit at  
the front. She muttered apologies and moved to her reserved seat.  
  
The Miko arranged themselves around the transport in various  
states of decorum and lounging, and the Guards returned to the front  
of the dome from which she had emerged. Their duty, she supposed.  
The doors of the transport closed automatically, and it floated  
away from the site.  
  
It had taken several hours to reach the castle. The golden  
sun of day slowly making its appearance as the shadows of the palace  
disappeared. The light of two suns shining from different sides  
soon making the gargantuan monolith of a building a more welcoming  
sight.  
  
It soon became clear that the palace was, itself, surrounded  
by a series of large buildings, residences and temples. A veritable  
city with a monumental centrepiece.  
  
"Look at that. Do the homeworlders really require a capital  
of such grandiose magnitude?" Toros, who was sitting nearby Naru,  
muttered.  
"Feeling capital envy, are we Toros?" Arachne, who was   
opposite Toros, smiled. The dark-haired Earth Miko sniffed at her  
Water counterpart.  
"Do you know how many people, how many worlds, how much   
wealth, was plundered to make this dream of theirs come true?"  
  
Plundered? Thought Naru. She sat up with interest.  
  
"Oh, Toros, you old conservative, you. Haven't you ever heard  
the old adage 'finders keepers'?"  
"That adage doesn't entirely apply in this case. Especially  
considering how much force was used to achieve the capital and  
resources to finance the construction."  
"Oh, you just take that position cos its trendy in this day  
and age." Arachne sniggered. "Its such a typical outworlder   
attitude."  
"You're an outworlder, too." Psyche leaned over the back of  
her chair, looking over Arachne's shoulder. "Isn't the Kingdom  
nothing more than a supply-post for all this?"  
Arachne smiled and leaned back, her long, wavy scarlet-maroon  
hair falling over the back of the seat. "Indeed it is. And the  
smart ones are learning how to make a small fortune from that sad  
truth."  
  
Naru looked at Arachne for a moment. Neither Psyche nor Toros  
seemed willing to question her on this point, and the conversation  
ended there. Far too soon for Naru's liking. If this was, indeed,  
some form of interactive memory of the Silver Millenium, then she  
had been quite unprepared for its scale and decadence. She was,  
unfortunately, scared of asking one too many questions that may seem  
out of place for someone of the time, especially someone who was  
supposed to be a Queen.  
  
The transport entered the city through a subterranean passage,  
obviously designed to accomadate such vehicles, even though there  
was just enough room for the one vehicle. For a few moments, Naru  
pondered the fact that there seemed to be no driver, or even visible  
controls. She thought the better of asking anyone about it.  
  
Eventually the transport stopped at what appeared to be a  
subway station, albeit more like a subway station one was likely  
to find in a large, ancient, monolithic palace. The platform was,  
however, empty. Naru turned to look at Toros and Ares, who were  
just to her right, standing up. Not knowing the protocol of these  
situations, she waited until everyone else was standing before she  
did so.  
  
"Typical." Ares muttered. "They didn't send anyone to meet  
us. Not even the senshi." The Mikos chuckled to themselves, like  
it was some private joke they were sharing. Naru put a hand over  
her mouth, as if stifling a smile. She didn't know what to do or  
say in this situation. Ares raised an eyebrow in her direction.  
"You find the fact that your own senshi have failed to meet you  
here so amusing?"  
  
"Uh..." Naru stammered.... Answer... I need an answer.  
"As you well know, I have not been... on best terms with the senshi.  
Especially Kithris and Vidimare." Where did those names come from?  
She wondered.  
Toros nodded sagely. "Those two allow their emotions get to  
them. An unfortunate by-product of being the senshi of Mars and  
Jupiter."  
"Hmph. All senshi are the same. Pathetic girls obsessed  
with their so-called powers, not really understanding where those  
powers came from, or why they have them. So typical of the  
militaristic, ordered and controlled system that produced them."  
Ares spat with contempt. Naru stared her in the eye.  
  
"Yes yes yes, we all know of your experiences with the senshi,  
Ares. There is no need to impress upon me the historical enmity  
between the two systems. I know it well." I wish I did, thought  
Naru. And in a blink of an eye, she did. Just like that, the entire   
history of the senshi and miko castes entered her brain. Well, that   
was kinda weird, she thought. Maybe if I wished for a double   
cheeseburger with cola and a side of fries, they'll pop up in my   
hands.  
  
Before she attempted to give herself a meal (she was feeling  
hungry, which lead to questions on how one felt hungry when one was  
nothing more than a conciousness experiencing extremely strange  
fantasies whilst floating in a pool of water) Ares bowed to her,  
apologising for her out of place words.  
  
"I'm sorry, my Queen. I know you do have friends amongst the  
senshi. I didn't mean it to be offensive."  
"That is alright, Ares. You are all my friends until I find  
reason to feel otherwise. Shall we alight or are we going to stand  
in this sauna for much longer?"  
  
The mikos nodded and began to file from the transport, onto  
the platform. Six had left the transport when Naru was waved   
through. As regally as was possible, she padded over to the doorway  
and stepped from the exit. The air within the 'station' felt cool  
and smelt sweet. After a few moments taking in her surroundings,  
she stepped forward as the six remaining mikos followed her out  
  
The station, like much of the architechture, was a uniform  
sand yellow. The materials used to construct the walls, ceilings  
and floors were obviously from the same, or similar, sources.  
  
She brought her mind back to business in question. "Now, I  
require an audience with the Chancellor. As per protocol, I require  
one of you to come with me." A thought entered her mind. "One who  
has the capability of mind-reading, I would suggest."  
  
"Why, my Queen?" Was the general response from the mikos.  
She nodded for a few moments, then continued.  
"I wish to know his.... partiality, on the method of my  
succession. There are always those who are less than enthusiastic  
in their relationships with Royalty who have found their place  
through the removal of the First Candidate."  
  
"But wouldn't he have his psychic defenses up at all times?  
In his position, he wouldn't want just anyone prying into his mind."  
Scylla rubbed her chin, looking across at Arachne. "Even though I  
may be a water Miko, and therefore powerful when it comes to psychic  
abilities, I'm sure I'd have more than a hard enough time breaking  
through those defences. The session would be over before I'd be  
able to gleam any information from him. I'm sure Arachne would  
feel the same."  
"Ah yes, but you are First and Second Refrain Water Mikos."  
Naru liked the idea of having ideas just pop into her head from  
nowhere. In a very short space of time, memories and thoughts had  
flowed into her head. She had to struggle to remember that she was  
actually Osaka Naru, not this Queen Tranquility person. Unless, of  
course, this Queen WAS her past life.  
  
The Mikos stared at her, only slowly beginning to understand  
what she meant. Naiad, who had been standing at the back of the  
group, farthest from Naru, began to cringe as faces turned towards  
her.  
"Naiad." Naru smiled.  
"Yes, my Queen."  
"You will come with me, won't you?"  
"Do I have a choice, my Queen?"  
"No. Of all assembled, you are the master at cracking psychic  
defences. That is your greatest skill. I wish to see it in   
action."  
"Whoo... Naiad's going to have to work for her dinner today."  
Scylla commented. The other Mikos laughed at this. It was obvious  
to Naru that Naiad was a great shirker of responsibility.  
  
----o  
  
Minako, Usagi and the two cats arrived at the top of the  
building as quickly as the stairs would let them. They were close  
to exhausted by the time they got there, though.  
  
As were the Usagi ninjas who had kidnapped Hotaru. They  
emerged from one of the air-conditioning vents, leaping out   
dramatically, Hotaru seemingly unconcious in the arms of one. The   
Usagis promptly collapsed all over the cement, totally devoid of   
landing skill or decorum, and the one holding Hotaru dropped her.  
  
"Yep, they're Usagis, alright." Said Minako's Usagi   
companion. Minako, puffing mightily, had to agree.  
  
Staring around to make sure not too many people saw their  
ineptitude, the five ninja Usagis rapidly stood and started  
assuming cool-looking, threatening poses.  
  
"We are the Usagi Liberation Front..." Said the middle-most   
one. "In the name of our stupidity, we shall punish you, non-Usagi   
heathen." They pointed at Minako, who had, by this time,   
facefaulted into near oblivion.  
  
"Mina-chan, Hotaru is free. Change into Venus and kick these  
stupid Usagi clones from the top of the building." Luna barked at  
Minako, who nodded. In the blink of an eye, standing before them  
was Sailorvenus. To say the effect on the Usagis was nothing short  
of miraculous.  
  
"Sailor...Venus...? The REAL one?" The Usagi ninjas chimed  
in unison.  
"Yes, and you just tried to kidnap the REAL Sailorsaturn. Try  
to imagine how she's gonna feel when SHE wakes up." Minako barked  
smugly.  
  
The five gulped visibly and stared at Hotaru's still body. A  
strange sense of power seemed to overcome Minako. It was so EASY to  
keep these imbeciles in line. If only the original Usagi had been  
this easy to slap into line.  
  
"Saturn? Tomoe-san is Saturn?" Minako turned to her Usagi  
compnaion, who, like the others, was staring at Hotaru, shaking her  
head in disbelief. "Saturn is in the city.... We're all doomed."  
"Get a hold of yourself."  
"Its the end for us if she becomes Saturn. The end for us   
all." The girl seemed genuinely frightened, as did the ninjas, who  
were shying away from the girl they had gone to so much trouble only  
minutes before to kidnap. What the hell was going on here?  
  
Then a figure in red leapt from the top of the stairwell exit,  
grabbing Hotaru and jumping onto the edge of the building. The  
figure turned and looked back at Minako, her mouth covered in a  
shroud. It was obviously another Usagi, but the look in her eyes  
were different from those in black.  
  
"My subordinates may be frightened by your presence and words  
of Saturn, but I am not. I am the leader of the Usagi Liberation  
Front, and I am, by no means, the kind of bumbling fool one would  
normally associate with her. I shall take your friend, Sailorvenus.  
If you are half the warrior I think you to be, you shall meet me at  
the factory in three hours, or she shall die."  
  
And with that, the Usagi ninja leader threw up her hand.  
Before Minako could do anything, the top of the roof was clouded in  
mist, and both the ninjas and Hotaru were gone.  
  
As the mist dissipated, Minako cursed and turned to her  
companion, still shaken by the news that Hotaru was Saturn.  
"Look, you, get a hold of yourself." The Usagi looked at her  
and nodded. "Now, you're going to have to guide me to this   
'factory'."  
"The Usagi Production Factory... Run by our Mamo-chan."  
"Mamo-chan.... I take it he's a reproduction, too?" The   
Usagi had told her earlier that this Mamoru had been in the City for  
five years. Although Minako had no idea whether time passed as a  
constant within this dimension, that would mean that he had been in  
this world for longer than Usagi had known him. The original, late  
Usagi, that was.  
"No, this one is the original. He was very confused when he  
got here."  
  
"The ORIGINAL???" Chorused one sailorsenshi and two cats.  
  
----o  
  
Naru walked silently through the dark and empty corridors of  
the palace. The thoughts and memories of this life that seemed to  
be imposing themselves upon her mind becoming easier to ignore as  
her will took control.  
  
She would occasionally turn aside at Naiad. The young woman  
seemed to seep into her surroundings... Enjoying them fully. Her  
expression was bright, if not cheerful. She wondered what could   
have created such a being.... So devoid of emotional response on   
things that would knock everyone else about, yet would go to pieces  
over things that barely registered concern in others.  
  
Occasionally, she would find herself admiring the way Naiad  
was adorned.... The beautiful flowing blue robes of her position  
mixed in with the blue of her long hair complimented each other  
well. She had to admit, Naiad most certainly LOOKED impressive. If  
only looks could have been matched with the element of personality.  
  
  
Both Naiad and herself had left the other mikos at the   
entrance station. One of the Palace courtiers had eventually come   
to meet them and apologised for the tardiness of the group's   
reception, and said that a banquet was to be held in the honour of   
the new Queen as soon as her meeting with the Chancellor had been   
completed. It annoyed Naru that she would not be given time to   
prepare for this reception.  
  
The courtesan guided the other mikos back to their quarters,  
leaving both herself and Naiad to walk alone amongst the halls of  
the Palace Bureaucracy. Hardly an auspicious start for the reign of  
a Queen. But then, in the ultimate scheme of things, she   
represented nothing more than the Governor of a fringe colony. A  
powerful one, but a fringe one all the same.  
  
"Naiad...." Naru almost whispered her name, breaking the  
young woman's reverie. She looked aside at Naru without really  
turning her head. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you back there."  
"That's alright. Its just that... You know..."  
"Hmm?"  
"After what happened... Earlier, at the Academy, when we  
were together.... It would be bad for both of us if anyone  
thought you were favouring me for some reason."  
  
Naru tried desperately to access that portion of her memory,  
but for some reason, it was barred to her. It held a lot of  
emotion, but that was all she could tell.  
  
"That's alright, Nai-chan. You shouldn't worry so much about  
what others think."  
"Nai-chan? What does that mean?"  
Oops, Naru thought. They obviously don't use that honorific  
in this time. "Uhh, its a term of affection, from my homeland."  
"Ah, I see." Naiad shrugged. "Its not like you to be so  
unconcerned about what others think."  
"Nor is it like you to be so cautious."  
"Touche'" Naiad smiled. A friendly smile. Whatever had gone  
on between Naiad and this Tranquility person, be it her own past  
life or not, there was definitely a connection between the two. Not  
just acquaintances, something more, something deeper. She   
desperately tried to find that memory.... Something else was   
needed. An avatar... This body had power, or at least was supposed  
to have power.  
  
"There is a questioning expression on your face, Tranquility.  
There is something you want to know, and you want to know it from   
me." Naiad had stopped, placing a hand on Naru's arm to halt her.  
"Uh, what makes you say that?"  
"I can read all expressions. No amount of training will hide  
a person's thoughts from me."  
"On top of which, you have mastery over the manipulation of  
minds." Naiad seemed slightly taken aback by Naru's comment.  
"You were trying to read my mind, and you can see how confused and  
clouded it is."  
"Maybe the process has left you slightly disoriented..."  
"No... You wouldn't pry into my mind for such simplistic  
reasons. You needed to know if any of the old Tranquility remains  
within me after the process."  
  
Naiad let go and looked aside for a moment, like a child who  
had been caught out. Naru smiled. "Don't feel so bad, Nai-ch...  
Naiad. I know you like the back of my hand." I wish I did, Naru  
thought. There are times when her reputation scares the bejeezus   
and begorrah outta me.  
"I'm sorry." The words had to be forced from Naiad's mouth,  
like she was not used to saying them. As far as Naru was concerned,  
that was likely to be the case. Certainly, if the current entity  
who called herself Naiad was anything to go by, she probably hadn't  
uttered those words since.  
"That's okay, Naiad." Naru put both her hands on Naiad's  
shoulders. "Look, we both reached the very pinnacle of where we  
wanted to go, be the methods good or bad. All that matters to me is  
if you are happy with the decision you made, to join the clergy."  
  
Naru and Naiad stared at each other for several moments. Naru  
smiled. "Well... Are you?"  
"Yes."  
"See? Its far better to be a Water Miko than a Water Senshi,  
I'm sure."  
"It has its interesting moments." Naiad smiled back.  
  
And Naru used Naiad's opening up as an opportunity to pry into  
her mind. Everything went blurry, and reformed....  
  
----o  
  
The road had taken Usagi and the Animates through what had to  
have been some of the most spectacularly boring scenery in   
existence. By the time they had noticed the first few farms and  
houses they were passing by, they had reached the outskirts on the  
small, but sizeable, town, such had been the state of psychotic  
tedium they had fallen into.  
  
Naturally, it was Mouse who made the first remark as her four  
companions woke from their slumbering and sky-contemplating with  
bleary, disbelieving looks on their faces.  
  
"Nice town, eh? Classier than I thought a fringe town would  
be." The others had to agree. In a strange kind of way, despite  
the middle-Asian setting, the town reminded Usagi of the wild west.  
There were carriages everywhere on the roughly-covered main street.  
They rode past residences, shops, a bank, a school, and several  
hotels as well as a great many people.  
  
"Where did all this suddenly pop up from?" Crow scratched  
her head. "The last I knew, we were in the middle of nowhere."  
Mouse, who had been at the reigns all the way, sniffed with  
disinterest. "If you had to watch the road like I did, you'd soon  
find out that things started getting busy some fifty miles back."  
  
They soon approached the middle of the town. The   
Administration Hall sat on one side, surrounded by arcades and  
other shops, with a vast hotel complex on the opposite side. At  
the front of the hotel sat a huge group of carriages, all the same  
scarlet-maroon colour, and bearing the same insignia, looking like  
a letter M with an arrowed tail.  
  
"Whoo, she's sparkles, that place." Nyanko smiled. "I like  
this town already."  
"We can't stay in the middle of town, you realise that?"  
Siren did her best to disillusion the starry-eyed Nyanko.  
"Why's that?" Nyanko looked daggers at Siren.  
"Try looking around you. Everyone's staring at Usagi."  
  
They did, and indeed, everyone was giving Usagi strange looks.  
It was the most uncomfortable sensation that Usagi had ever felt.  
  
"I think a nice fringe residence during our stay here would  
be worth investigating, don't you?" Crow turned to Usagi, who  
nodded dumbly. Crow turned to Mouse. "Well, you saw the girl,  
lets find a Bed and Breakfast out of the way, okay?"  
"Yes boss, no boss, three effin' bags full, boss." Mouse  
sniffed again and tapped the reigns on the back of the horse, which  
quickened its pace.  
  
----o  
  
From a window, high in the hotel, a scarlet-maroon haired   
woman in a tight-fitting red minidress stared down at the fivesome   
in the open cart, her eyes focusing in on Usagi. That couldn't be   
who she thought it was....  
  
"Mistral, come here...." She turned to her companion, a man  
dressed in a quaint, 19th century English business suit, who was  
sitting at the main table within her private room, filling out forms  
with a quill pen. He looked up at her, placing the quill aside and  
standing.  
"What is it, my Lady Scorpia?"  
"In the street below.... Sitting in that old cart there..."  
  
Mistral stepped up to the window and followed his mistress's  
direction. He opened his eyes wide when he spotted Usagi.  
  
"Oh my goodness... It is the Princess Serenity." He turned  
to Scorpia, his mouth hanging open.  
"Riding in an old cart with four tramps like those for her  
travelling companions?" Scorpia raised an eyebrow. "Unless, of  
course...." Scorpia put a hand to her chin. "They could be...."  
"An investigative team, from the Palace, lead by the   
Princess?" Mistral frowned and Scorpia bit her lip.  
"I don't think so. They'd never send in someone as   
recognisable as the Princess to do such a menial task." Scorpia  
turned and took a few steps into her room, thinking. She then  
turned to Mistral, smiling. "Mistral, you shall find our who these  
girls are, then invite them to dine with me tonight."  
  
Mistral smiled and nodded. "If the girl turns out to be the  
Princess, you will, naturally, give her the welcome to which she is  
accustomed?"  
"Oh, of course, Mistral. I shall not let the.... misunderstandings   
of the past place a barrier to our relationship."  
"And if she turns out to not be her?"  
"I am not an uncivilised person, Mistral. I'm quite sure I  
can find a place for her in my affections.... And a use for her  
friends." Scorpia smiled as Mistral bowed and walked from the room,  
through a large set of double doors. She stepped back to the window  
as they closed behind her.  
  
She watched as the wagon disappeared up the street, memories  
of past betrayals lingering on her mind.  
  
----o  
  
Naru felt herself land softly on the ground. She felt a   
little disoriented and stared around at her surroundings. She was  
on a concrete garden path, surrounded by plant life of extraordianry  
foliage and colour. The sky was a rich azure blue and the sun was  
shining, albeit weakly. Whatever time of the year this was, it  
appeared to be close to winter. That may come to explain the   
colours of the foliage, she thought.  
  
She then looked down at what she was wearing, a found herself  
in a black sailorfuku, with white bow and silver trimmings. The   
dress itself ran down almost to her ankles, and she wore very simple  
slip-on white shoes. Under her arm, tied with secure string, were  
schoolbooks and a pencil.  
  
"Something wrong, Tranqs?" Naru turned to the voice, which  
came from behind her. She thought she'd recognised it, despite its  
youth.... Her eyes opened wide.  
  
There stood Naiad.  
  
In the school uniform.  
  
And she couldn't have been any older than fifteen.  
  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
  
END OF PART 9  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Notes  
  
And now, the $64 000 question.... Can you guess what song Naiad is  
humming to herself at the beginning of this chapter from the rather  
obscure clues? The track is at least 16 years old now, by a fairly  
well-known band (and being all of 28 years, is one of my old   
favourites). I use a different song by this band almost as BGM to  
each chapter.  
  
After recovering from my wisdom tooth operation (they were   
surgically removed under general anaesthetic) I thought it was about  
time to get to writing another chapter. And once more, I've gone  
off on a strange tangent. But hey, they're my tangents, and I am  
the writer ^_^.  
  
In the next chapter, Naru psychoanalyses Naiad from their days in  
school together until their final meeting shortly before the Miko's  
suicide.... Chapter 10 of "Usagi is Dead" - School of Hard Knocks.  
Coming soon.  
  
Please mail all comments, criticisms and general rants to  
ayanami@merlin.net.au  
  
I may even find the time between my various typings to reply. You  
never know your luck in a big planet. ^_^  
  
DDFA 


	10. Part 10: School of Hard Knocks

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 10  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
IRC: Mappy^_^ (or PsychoBathplug) on DALnet's #AJAS  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so  
these characters really belong to them, except ones I made up, in  
which case, if I see anyone using them, I'll murder ya! ^_^ (In  
the nicest possible way, of course).  
  
This chapter also includes some coarse language near the end. I'm  
warning you now, just so you know.  
  
Part Ten  
School of Hard Knocks  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
and again  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
  
  
Usagi stared out of the side of the building at the vast  
expanse of sand, a veritable desert, the wind blowing in her hair.   
It wasn't a natural desert, of course, and much of it was beginning   
to green over once more, the struggling tendrils of life pushing its   
way back from the brink. It felt so peaceful, she could have sat  
there for an eternity, hoping things would never change for her.  
  
Then her right arm began to quiver, and that was the end of   
that moment's introspection. It was a cruel thing, being at war   
with yourself. At least, thats what the Professor had told her. A  
combination of opposing powers. She had to hand it to Jadeite, he  
sure had sucked her well and truly in with her need for a new body.  
  
She'd managed to get control of the arm and turned back to the   
valley of sand. There was something in the sky.... She ignored it   
at first, but it soon clicked as to what it may be. She fixed her  
vision onto the tiny dot and squinted, jumping from the window sill  
and turning away.  
  
"Professor! Professor! Hotaru's back!" Usagi ran excitedly  
into the darker confines of the old building, down stairs and   
corridors until she reached the lab of Professor Tomoe, who was   
gazing intently through a telescope at his approaching daughter,   
looking out of the sole window.  
  
"Professor... Its her... She's returned, thank Kami-sama."  
"I know, I can see her. She's carrying someone in her arms."  
"Eh?" Usagi blinked as she padded across the lab, avoiding  
the Professor's many experimental setups that protruded from   
benchtops in every direction. The Professor turned to Usagi and   
gestured at the telescope.  
"You won't believe this." He said. "It looks like she's   
picked up yet another Usagi."  
"Ehh?" Usagi put her eye up to the telescope. Without doubt,  
Hotaru was carrying.... another her. Where were all these Usagis  
coming from, she wondered. Surely there is only one REAL version of   
me, and I KNOW that's me. She turned back to Professor Tomoe.  
"Where are all these versions of me coming from?"  
"You mean versions of ME." Usagi turned to see a third Usagi  
standing in the doorway. As soon as she stepped in, a fourth,   
fifth, sixth and seventh followed her.  
"No, what you both meant to say was, different versions of   
ME." The fourth replied haughtily. Tomoe, who was getting used to   
this circular argument, put his hands up placatingly.  
"Now now now, lets not be immature about this. There will be  
seven of you here, now." All the Usagis rolled their eyes, except   
the Youma-Usagi, who had turned back to the telescope. She could   
see the new arrival better now. An Usagi, with her hair worn down,   
dressed in a pink skirt, blouse and jacket. At least her clothes   
looked neat and tidy. Better than the torn and bloodied sailorfuku   
she had been wearing when she had been brought to Tomoe's new abode.  
  
It had taken her some time to find someone she knew. This   
was, most definitely, not her time. According to the Professor, all   
of the senshi were missing, except for his daughter. And she was   
aloof, never around half the time. It all had something to do with   
a cataclysm that occurred not long before.... The Professor was   
sketchy on the details. What he did know was that Usagis were NOT   
popular with any survivors (something she'd discovered upon her   
arrival), so he'd spent much of his time getting Hotaru to search   
for and rescue them. And that had included her, even though he knew   
her for what she was.  
  
Not that Hotaru had actually found her. More like she had  
found Hotaru. And that was all for the better, considering the   
state the sole remaining senshi was in when she had happened on her.   
A story she had never gotten round to telling her father. Another   
thing that was all for the better for Hotaru.  
  
"Anyways." Said the fifth Usagi. "We better prepare   
something for her to eat. You know how hungry we Usagis get."  
"Indeed, a most excellent idea. Hop to it, straight away."   
Tomoe pointed to the doorway as the Usagis excitedly made their way   
out of the lab and down the corridor to the kitchen.  
  
The Youma Usagi turned and looked back at Tomoe, who was   
standing by the doorway, watching them go.  
  
"They're so cheerful, its hard to believe they've had to   
endure some of the worst this world has to offer." She said. Tomoe   
said nothing and she frowned. "Is there something wrong?"  
"No... Nothing. Really." He sighed, and she shook her head.  
"There is no point hiding your feelings from me, sensei." She  
stepped away from the window. He turned to her, then looked down at   
the floor.  
  
"You've been here for almost a year now." He said, softly.   
The tone was gentle. She swallowed for a moment.  
"Yes..."  
"And you've long ago calculated the point at which you should   
return."  
"Yes."  
"And you know the spell that will get you there like the back   
of your hand."  
"Your point being?"  
"Why haven't you?"  
  
Usagi chewed this over for a while. "Why haven't I gone back   
to finish the job I'd started? To kill the Senshi?"  
"Yes, thats what I'm asking you."  
  
Usagi gestured to the window. "You see that wasteland out   
there? That's why. I couldn't give a damn about the Senshi. If   
going back to kill them was such a simple task, then I would have   
done it long ago. But going back means creating this world, this   
future. It may also mean my dying."  
  
"There is no guarentee that you are dead. Certainly, nobody   
has heard from you in this time, but that doesn't mean you AREN'T   
here." He shrugged. "Perhaps you're waiting for you to leave to  
before you make an appearance."  
  
Usagi blinked at him a couple of times and smiled. "I just  
love the terminology people use during a time paradox, don't you?"  
  
Tomoe sniffed. "You're avoiding giving me a proper answer to  
my question."  
"What kind of answer would you want me to give?" Usagi felt  
frustrated. There were things she just couldn't tell him.  
  
Tomoe looked away. After a few moment's silence, he turned  
back to her. "If its me that is holding you back...."  
Usagi smiled and shook her head. "Are you afraid of my   
leaving, sensei? Or do you think I'm afraid to leave you?  
"I'm not sure what I think."  
  
Usagi nodded. "Well, you're right. I am afraid to leave you  
and this place. You've provided... more than enough comfort... for  
me in my stay here. And I don't wish to leave that."  
  
There was a gentle knock on the doorframe, and one of the   
Usagis peered in. Both turned to her. "Anooo... Tomoe-sensei,  
Hotaru has just landed on the roof. She wishes to see you. Alone."  
  
"Tell her I'll be a couple of minutes."  
"And the new arrival.... She's requesting a bath."  
"Very well.... See if we have enough water in the holding  
tank. If not, she'll have to wait until we send out the truck."  
  
She nodded and disappeared back from the doorway. Tomoe  
looked aside at the Youma. "All these girls around me. I think  
they know.... what has been going on. Between us, I mean. If  
Hotaru were to find out...."  
"Her father's private life is none of her business." Usagi  
huffed. "Just as she'd say hers is none of yours. There are a few  
tales I can give away about what she has been up to when she isn't  
here."  
"Many of which I would never begin to ask about. I'll let her   
tell me. The difference is Hotaru KNOWS what you are, and what you   
were supposed to have done to the other senshi. The thought that   
her own father may contemplate.... Well, you know what I mean."  
  
Usagi shrugged and turned back to the window. "I promised  
her I would do nothing as long as I was here to hurt either you or  
her. I intend to keep that promise. If she wants to pick a fight  
with me, then the only one who is going to get hurt shall be her."  
  
"Then I shall have to see that she doesn't, won't I?" Tomoe  
left the room. Usagi clenched her fists and shut her eyes.  
"Baka! Damn you to hell, Hotaru."  
  
----o  
  
Naru felt herself land softly on the ground. She felt a   
little disoriented and stared around at her surroundings. She was  
on a concrete garden path, surrounded by plant life of extraordianry  
foliage and colour. The sky was a rich azure blue and the sun was  
shining, albeit weakly. Whatever time of the year this was, it  
appeared to be close to winter. That may come to explain the   
colours of the foliage, she thought.  
  
She then looked down at what she was wearing, and found   
herself in a black sailorfuku, with white bow and silver trimmings.   
The dress itself ran down almost to her ankles, and she wore very   
simple slip-on white shoes. Under her arm, tied with secure string,   
were schoolbooks and a pencil.  
  
"Something wrong, Tranqs?" The voice sounded familiar, but  
younger. Naru turned to see Naiad, similarly dressed, also carrying  
schoolbooks. And she was right, Naiad WAS younger, a good ten years  
in terms of physical appearance from the 25 year old she had become  
used to. Of course, she knew better than to think of Naiad as a  
simple 25 year old, like she knew better than to think Setsuna was  
going to get any older than she appeared. It was just a shock to  
think of Naiad as having ever been any younger, considering her  
great age, spiritually, anyway. Of course, Naru thought, if this  
IS my past life, then I am just as old as she is.  
  
"Ah, no, I'm sorry. Just having to get used to my   
surroundings. I've never been good at working new places out   
quickly" She blurted out without thinking. Fortunately, Naiad   
seemed to find this amusing.  
"Yes, the Academy can be a difficult place to get used to.  
Especially to those of us who wonder what we're doing here."  
"Why? I thought you were looking forward to studying under  
Poseidon for the position of the Neptune Senshi, or her guard?"  
Naru didn't know why she blurted that question out. It just seemed  
the right thing to say. Naiad's smile disappeared and she looked  
away.  
"Oh, I dunno. Maybe its just a phase I'm going through. I  
better pull my socks up. It'd be embarrassing for my mother if I  
were to fail. Nobody has ever failed this Academy."  
"Hmm?" Naru frowned. "Surely someone would have failed.  
That's the purpose of the Academy, to sort out those who are worthy  
to fill the positions...."  
"Not this place. Even if you do relatively poorly, you shall,  
ultimately, end up in some position of authority, somewhere." Naiad  
seemed to cheer up. "Some of the most successful graduates of this  
place were the worst performers. Says something about the system, I  
suppose."  
"You seem almost pleased about that proposition." Naru smiled  
sweetly. Naiad smiled back.  
"Yes, well, maybe its that individualistic side of me coming  
out. There were times in my life when I went out of my way to  
disappoint my mother, just to smash the hopes in me she had and  
give her a more bitter sense of reality." Naru found it hard to  
believe that Naiad smiled through saying that. "Parents have such  
unnaturally high expectations of you, don't they? If I was to ever  
achieve anything in my life, I'd rather it be done without the kind  
of fanfare most like to soak in."  
Naru nodded dumbly. "Whatever you feel is best for you."   
Naru thought for several moments, thoughts entering her head that  
hadn't been there previously. "But then, that is the danger of the  
Water elemental powers.... They can build your creativity and power  
of mind at the expense of your drive and ambition."  
"Oh, I dunno. I have ambition. To be what, I don't know, but  
there's this constant feeling within me that I'm missing my   
calling."  
"What? To be a Miko?"  
  
Naiad stopped and stared at Naru, who took a few more steps,  
then stopped and turned back to look at her.  
"A Miko?"  
"Uh... It was just a thought."  
"What, in the name of the Kingdom, made you think I'd want to  
be a Miko?" Naiad seemed to find the idea distasteful.  
"Well, its just that, when you said you felt that you were  
missing your calling...."  
"To become a Miko? Oh COME on. Do you know what kind of  
embarrassment that would cause the Academy, not to mention my   
mother." Naiad shook her head. "The systems that produce the  
senshi and the miko are two different and competing ones. If I  
were to leave the Academy to join the Seminary, there would be those  
who would, quite willingly, have me killed. Its the kind of  
embarrassment they would NEVER allow me to live down."  
"And yet, you've considered it, haven't you?" Naru kicked  
herself within the several moments of silence that passed between  
them for not controlling these memories better.  
  
Naiad seemed to chuckle to herself as the school bell rang.  
Slinging her books under one arm, she stepped up to Naru and grabbed  
he with her free hand.  
  
"Come on, you. Enough of the mindless philosophising. We're  
going to be late for class." And with that, Naru found herself  
being physically dragged towards the main Academy building.  
  
----o  
  
VesVes had managed to pursue Rei's energy-signal through the  
streets until she reached a small shopping strip on a reasonably  
busy intersection. The level of activity there had made the signal  
blurry, and she could but follow its general direction. As she  
passed the shops by, she noticed the owner's names printed above  
the doorways.... Owner Meiou... Proprietor Meiou... Owner Meiou.  
Just how many pies had Setsuna stuck her wriggly little fingers in?  
  
Seconds later, she felt Rei's signal strongly once more, and  
hurried away, not giving the shops a second thought.  
  
----o  
  
There was a police cordon around the shrine grounds.   
Apparently, the chief priest of the shrine had been found, with a  
friend who had been travelling with him. Both seemed exceptionally   
worried about a girl who had been staying there.  
  
Jadeite watched from the crowd that surrounded the devastated   
shrine and shook his head again. Not here, either. He was quite   
sure the witch would not allow herself to be killed quite so easily.   
And as for Rei.... Well, the witch would probably still be trying   
to make use of her powers. It was likely that she had escaped the   
conflagration that swallowed the shrine.  
  
Jadeite took one last look at Rei's grandfather, finding it  
difficult to believe the old man was related to the same Mars he  
knew back in the days of the Kingdom. That this man had spent a  
good many years raising her....  
  
He made his way from the crowd, wondering how many of the  
senshi's houses he would have to investigate before he found her.  
He soon wondered who it was he was truly looking for.... The witch  
or his beloved Mars. He shook his head. Only the witch would truly  
be able to tell him what was going on. Maybe even explain to him who   
was following him. He cast a glance over his shoulder. Indeed,  
a Tsukino Usagi, dressed in a pink blouse and skirt, with her hair  
worn down. Not the Youma-Usagi, nor the original. The memories of  
this one were far far shorter than the either of them, yet the  
emotional development was complete.... More complete than would  
have been expected from that Tsukino brat. This one bore a closer  
resemblance to the original Serenity of his memory.  
  
He ignored her and continued on his way.  
  
----o  
  
Rei had followed the image of the Usagi through the streets  
for quite some time. It always seemed to be just one step ahead.  
Strange, since Usagi was never that good at running around. It had  
to have been a spirit of some kind. Rei had always been good on  
picking up spirits. Hell, even her name meant spirit. Whatever  
the case, she was being lead somewhere, and she didn't like the  
thought of that.  
  
She had reached the empty grounds of a school by the time she  
stopped and paused, watching the figure watching her from the corner  
of one of the school buildings. Well, she thought, its your move  
now.  
  
----o  
  
Jadeite felt a tingling run down his spine as he stepped  
across the main street. His hand slapped onto the back of his neck  
and he spun, and if hearing a voice behind him. Back on the   
footpath stood Usagi... The Usagi who ahd been following him. His  
expression was threatening, but she was unmoved, merely standing  
there in a calm serenity.  
  
Serenity, he thought, what a laugh. And then an image entered  
his mind. An image of Rei in danger. He spun and looked out over  
buildings, to see her in a schoolyard.  
  
"No!" He shouted. And in an instant, he disappeared from the  
street, much to the surprise of people around him.  
  
The Usagi simply stood there and shook her head, looking up  
into the sky, as if expecting something. Her reverie was broken  
when she felt a hand on her shoulder.  
"Hoi, you! You're that Tsukino girl, aren't ya?" She turned  
slowly and without concern at the uniformed policewoman who stood  
beside her.  
"And if I am? Aren't I supposed to be dangerous?" The woman  
stared at her for a moment.  
"I think you better come with me."  
"I honestly have more pressing engagements."  
"I'm not giving you a choice. I'm arresting you, Tsukino   
Usagi, under suspicion of conspiring with others over the terrorist  
bombing of the Buruto Police Sub-Branch."  
"My name is NOT Tsukino Usagi, it is Tsukino Usako. And if  
you must arrest me, then very well, I shall go with you. But I warn  
you now, I won't be held responsible for the consequences."  
For a few moments, the pair stared at each other. A small  
crowd of gossiping people had, by this stage, surrounded them. The  
woman, noticing the group, took Usako by the arm and started to drag  
her away....  
  
----o  
  
Naru had found the Academy's Food Hall fairly easily. Despite  
the fact that she had never, conciously, been to this place before,  
she seemed to remember a hell of a lot about it. Of course, that  
depended on whether one believed the place had ever truly existed in  
the first place, or was nothing more than a figment of her  
imagination, allowed to run rampant within the avatar of the liquid  
that Ami had created from mere water. She wondered to herself the  
implications of three minds melded together within a liquid body....  
For some reason she found the concept attractive. To live forever  
in a world of your own creating.  
  
It was all a fantasy, though. The thought that, in truth,  
everyone you relate to here was nothing more than an aspect of your  
own personality.... It was too much for a social creature like her  
to contemplate.  
  
  
The curriculum she had been presented with, for all intents   
and purposes, should have been mindless gobbledigook. Yet it all   
made sense to her. Indeed, she was progressing rather well, it   
would have seemed, judging by some of the results she had got back   
from a test today. Naiad, however, was not.   
  
From what Naru had been able to remember, and what she had   
dredged up from her investigations, Naiad had presented her teacher,   
Poseidon, with something of a conundrum. Her results showed no   
regular pattern of understanding. Her literary and artistic skills   
were beyond those one would have normally expected with those   
blessed by the element of water. Yet her application and study of   
the powers given to her by the element were spasmodic and without   
structure. She experimented with the powers in an extremely   
dangerous manner, using the mind and sensual disorientation and   
manipulation on both herself and others to see its effects.  
  
She'd even managed to convince Poseidon that he was a Teborian  
Mungfish for about twenty minutes, which amused everyone (even the  
headmaster) except Poseidon himself. This convinced Poseidon that  
he was dealing with a prodigy, of a kind, and an extremely dangerous  
one if she were to use the full capacity of her powers. For one of  
his students to get past his defensive wall so easily....  
  
Since that time, Naiad had received VERY special attention  
from Poseidon and the staff of the Water Faculty. Something that  
was getting her down. If there was anything she hated, it was  
having others impose themselves upon her and her time. Naru, as  
Tranquility, had discovered this in their short time together  
before they'd enetered the Academy. Give Naiad her personal space  
and she was the best friend you could ever hope to have. Impose  
yourself upon her, and you suddenly found a quiet, reserved   
shrinking violet who refused to relate to you at all. No, that was  
not quite right... She had the ability to spook you into leaving  
her alone.... And she would choose the time and place to allow you  
back into her life.  
  
This is what had happened with Poseidon's "special treatment".  
The more he pushed and pried into Naiad's life and spare time, the  
less he got out of her. It had left him looking extremely tired  
and exasperated, snarling at the very mention of the name Naiad Keth  
Drutein. Even the staff and prefects of the water faculty were  
getting heartily sick of her.  
  
But it was nothing compared to the effect it was having on  
Naiad herself. The girl had been reduced to a shell, more than   
often escaping into fantasy worlds within her mind whenever she had   
the opportunity, mostly to do with various nightmare scenarios   
involving the sadly premature demise of her teacher and his lackeys.  
  
  
Lo and behold, Naru found her doing this in the Food Hall,  
sitting alone at a table, lunch getting rapidly cold in front of   
her, gazing off into space. And she looked a mess. The normally   
fastidious appearance she had obsessively created for herself... the   
hair tied up in a topknot, hanging back in a flowing ponytail, the   
manicured face and hands, the neatly pressed uniform... Were   
replaced by straight hair, worn down, perhaps even unwashed since  
yesterday, or the day before. Her uniform was messy... Perhaps it  
too had been unwashed for the same period of time. It was a good  
thing she didn't sweat too much....  
  
Naru shook her head and walked over to the buffet, collecting  
a drink (something or other juice, she didn't know what) and a plate   
of food (as unidentifiable as the drink) with utensils, and stepped   
over to her troubled friend, avoiding the stares of other students.  
  
"Head in the clouds again. We really must do something with  
you." Naru smiled sweetly as she placed her lunch on the table. It  
smelled nice, whatever it was. Naiad jumped to and smiled at her,  
a little strained, but apparently happy for the diversion. Naru sat  
down. "And what would be the problem this time? Or is it the usual  
gripe?"  
"Oh, its nothing." Nicely evasive, vague answer, Naru   
thought. She's not in the mood to be cross-examined. Time to draw  
it from her.  
"Hmm.... Well anyways, I've got exams coming up. You know,  
the Candidacy examinations. I'm not feeling too good about them."  
"Well, I'm sure you'll do fine. You've always been pretty  
settled when it comes to those kinds of things."  
"Yeah, but, you know.... This is pretty important.  
"Importance is all relative. If you fail, you fail. You   
might end up somewhere where your abilities can be exercised  
better. After all, you are attempting to become the Alternative  
Candidate for the position of Queen. If you pass the exam, and   
merely become one of the successful candidate's entourage, then all  
your abilities will go to waste. The same applies if you become  
the Alternate Candidate and the First Candidate is successful in  
fulfilling her duties."  
Hmm... Thought Naru. An existentialist dilemma. So the  
incipient elements of Naiad's current personality found their  
origin during this time.  
  
"You know, I've been thinking, about what you were saying  
this morning. I'm having doubts, myself, about the path my life is  
taking."  
"You? You having doubts?" Naiad was genuinely surprised.  
"I've begun to wonder whether it really is worth pursuing the  
position of Alternative Candidate. That I'm, somehow, missing my  
true calling. The conversation we had before class gelled these  
thoughts within my mind."  
"And this has lead to the uncertainty you feel about the  
examinations?"  
"In a way, yes. But it's deeper than that. I don't really  
FEEL like doing them. It all seems so simple... So planned. My  
life has been mapped out for me by my family since I was born. It  
was deemed the 'right' way to bring me up that I be groomed for  
the AltCan position. I just feel like I've been denied the right  
to choose."  
"So do I."  
"Eh?" This was more like it, Naru thought.  
"My mother was widowed when she was still young.... No more  
than three-hundred years old.... Ever since then, she's been  
holding a lot of hopes for both Hecate and myself. Perhaps more in  
me than Hecate, because I'm older.... I'm expected to spearhead  
the 'great attack' by her daughters on the system. You know what  
she is like."  
Some memories of the dark aquamarine-haired woman entered  
Naru's mind. An extremely dignified and strong woman, demanding of   
her two daughters.... Prone to moments of extreme nervous tension,  
and mild psychiatric conditions, for which she had spent some time  
in hospital, especially after the death of her husband. In a  
strange kind of way, Naiad seemed to emulate much of her mother's  
emotional tension, without quite the same understanding of social  
graces. Naru then thought of her sister, Hecate, and a vision of  
someone she recognised came to her mind....  
Setsuna.  
Naru rubbed her chin, thoughtfully, nodding. Yes, that would  
make sense.... If Setsuna, or Hecate, as she was in this world, was  
the sister of Naiad, then the conundrum-like personalities of both  
could be easily explainable. A mixture of genetics and spiritual  
descendency creating beasts of very similar nature. Only in   
Setsuna's case, she had since experienced the dubious pleasures of   
rebirth.  
  
Perhaps endured was a better term. If Captain Kikotsuka was  
truly Naiad's new life, then it could be said that Naiad, too, was  
enduring that pleasure. However, for some reason, Naru felt that it  
wasn't the same. All of the senshi had been reborn in bodies that  
were identical to their past or previous lives. Kikotsuka Aoi   
looked nothing like Naiad. Perhaps an element of cross-life   
cautiousness on the part of the Miko. Whatever the case, this 'new'  
life of hers seemed more like body borrowing than straight   
reincarnation.  
  
"You seem a tad out of it today, Tranqs..."  
"Oh, sorry. Do go on..."  
Naiad sighed. "Well, here I am, in the great and wonderful  
Academy, being taught by the best to achieve the maximum that the  
powers to which I have been blessed can give me. She's impressed,  
if not with my performance, then with my being here. She can write  
to all her friends and tell them how wonderful it is to have two  
children achieving great things." Naiad pointed across the hall.  
"Look, there's the other side of the coin of the Drutein sisters."  
Naru turned and spotted four young women sitting together  
by a window. One of them was, most obviously, a younger Setsuna.  
She wondered why she missed the girl so obviously, although it was  
likely that both Tranquility and Hecate had very little to do with  
each other outside the few moments they would have met in the  
presence of Naiad. She didn't recognise two of the other girls,  
but was surprised to see Hotaru sitting across from Setsuna. Not  
the small, childlike Hotaru she had become used to seeing, but a  
tall, attractive young woman, perhaps slightly taller than Setsuna.  
  
"She pretends not to notice I'm here. Its a learned response,  
I'm sorry to say." Naiad's voice oozed resigned bitterness. Naru  
smiled at her.  
"Who is the girl sitting opposite her." Naru pointed. Naiad  
frowned and looked at the girl, then turned back, raising an   
eyebrow.  
"Her? What would you be interested in her for?"  
"Dunno, was just wondering."  
"That's Erebus Todhunter. She's in the same faculty as   
Hecate. I suppose its natural that that pair should be together.  
Spooky girl, that's all I can say. I like her." Naiad smiled  
crookedly. Naru pressed a finger on Naiad's nose.  
"Don't get any funny ideas. Having Poseidon after your blood  
is bad enough."  
"Aww, there goes all my fun." Naiad shook her head. "I   
dunno, maybe I should apply to be a psychoanalyst. With the powers  
of mind that I have, it might be a worthy profession for me to join.  
And lets face it, there's gotta be a hell of a lot of people there  
that are loopier than I am."  
"Ah, you just put yourself down. You're not loopy, just   
different. You're one of those people for whom the path of life  
will take some very strange turns."  
"Like dumping the Academy to become a Miko...."  
Naru stared at Naiad, who had turned aside, gazing off into  
space. "I thought you said this morning that you couldn't bear the  
embarassment that would bring to your family?"  
"Perhaps I've been thinking, too."  
Naru leaned forward, speaking in conspiratorial tones. "Then  
I wouldn't talk about it casually like this."  
"I don't know if I really care if people overhear what we're  
saying. There are only two ways to drop out of the Academy. Run   
away, or be killed by the hierachy for besmirching its name. Both  
tend to amount to the same thing. You run away, and you'll never  
achieve anything within the structure and system of the Kingdom,  
unless you happen to find your way to another of the Kingdoms and  
try your luck there. And then, only if they accept you." Naiad  
turned back to Naru. "I dunno... I have a mother and a sister to   
think about. Whatever I do will, ultimately, affect them."  
  
"You've never sounded like you've worried about that before."  
Naru took a sip of the juice. Whatever it was, it tasted nice.  
"You're right there. Maybe there is still an element of  
social niceness within me." Naiad gave a cynical smile.  
"So, would you do it? I mean this seriously. Would you take  
off from this place and go somewhere... Like the Seminary, for  
example?"  
Naiad leaned back in her chair and thought long and hard. She  
then sat forward. "I don't think I can give you that answer now.   
Perhaps ask me later, after the first round of exams."  
"But what would you do now? Seriously, what would you do  
if you were given an opening to just take off and follow your   
destiny elsewhere?"  
"If that happened now? I'd leap from this place and never   
return."  
  
Naru smiled. That sounded more like the Naiad she knew. Then   
she spotted him.... Coming through the doorway behind Naiad. Tall,  
good looking, with long white hair, wearing the dark black uniform  
embellished with silver trimmings. Naru's eyes must have glazed   
over because Naiad turned to have a look. In fact, most of the   
girls in the food hall were looking. Naiad sighed and looked across  
to see her sister doing much the same. She then turned back to   
Naru, shaking her head sadly.  
  
"Oh Tranqs, will you never learn. Its just another MAN."  
"But he's GORGEOUS." Naru watched, drooling, as the young man  
stepped past their table and on to the buffet, barely recognising  
the expressions on the faces of girls as he went by. Or perhaps he  
was deliberately ignoring them.  
"The best you'll get from him are the thoughts running through  
your head right now. Astute's the dream of every girl in the   
Academy. And he's already spoken for."  
Naru felt a little disappointed. "Aww. Shame." She turned  
back to Naiad. "Still, hoooo." She held up her arm, smiling, and  
Naiad grinned.  
"Oh well, no accounting for taste, I must say." Naiad looked  
at her watch and stood. "I better go.... I've got a tutorial with  
Miss Pattaya in about ten minutes. Psychological Manipulation in  
moments of Crisis, I think the subject was."  
Naru facefaulted. "You're joking?"  
"Yep, I am." Naiad smiled. "I gotta go to the library. Some  
stuff I have to look up for the examination pretests. See you after  
class."  
"Ah.... Yeah, seeya."  
  
Naru watched as Naiad picked up her books, which had been   
sitting next to her on the table, and wandered off through the hall  
entrance.  
  
She sat there, munching on her lunch for a few moments,   
thinking to herself, when she felt the sensation of being watched.  
She looked up and around, making a scan of the room. It wasn't  
Setsuna or Hotaru... The both of them seemed to be getting into a  
philosophical discussion with their friends over the nature of life,  
death, time and darkness. Well, what else was new? She moved on to  
see Astute, sitting alone, drinking a steaming cup of something,   
quietly reading a book. Further around the room she saw various  
people she thought she recognised, but none seemed to be watching  
her the way she felt she was being watched.  
  
It was the briefest glimpse that she had caught of the figure.  
It seemed, at first, to be a refelction in one of the windows, yet  
there was nobody causing the reflection. A girl, standing, staring  
at her through the window, for all intents and purposes transparent.  
She recognised the figure immediately.  
  
"Ami..." She stood, forgetting her food, and stepped quickly  
towards the window. "Ami..." She reached out for the window, but  
the figure disappeared. She stood there, hand on the window, gazing  
out at where the girl had been.  
  
After all that had happened, she had forgotten the purpose for  
their being here.... To retrieve Ami from the water she had melded  
with, and quickly before not just she, but all three of them, were  
permanently ensnared in their watery grave.  
  
She felt a hand on her shoulder, and it was only then that she  
realised how quiet things had become. She slowly turned to see   
Astute standing next to her, looking somewhat concerned. Naturally,  
most of the girls in the Hall were supremely jealous of the   
attention he was giving her. Some of the other students had   
followed him in similar concern about Naru's behaviour.  
  
"Are you alright, Miss Tranquility?" Astute questioned.  
"I'm... Uhh... yes, I think. For a moment there, I thought  
I saw someone I knew.... It was kind of...." She didn't know what  
else to say.  
"Do you hear the echo of a past life calling? It happens   
often here." Astute nodded, thinking. "The Academy is a closed  
society, populated by people from all walks of life. There have  
been times when I have experienced the Ghosts of the Past."  
"Indeed." An older, dark-haired female student piped in from  
beside him. "The Ghosts can be cruel creatures. Once you have  
joined the Academy, you can never return to your past life."  
  
Naru stared at them, wondering whether to take them seriously.  
  
----o  
  
THAWAMMMM.......  
  
Rei didn't know what it was that hit her, but it was awfully  
violent. She felt singed all over her front as she flew through the  
windows of the school building and through several classrooms.  
  
She lay dazed for several moments, surrounded by the wreackage   
of desks, walls and windows, as something inhuman leapt through the   
hole, cackling and gibbering in a most unpleasant manner. She   
managed to sit up before whatever it was jumped onto her legs.   
She let out a cry of pain as it lifted her up by the scruff of her   
neck, dragging her legs roughly out from under its feet.  
  
"Hino Rei.... Kill Usagi. Kill and laugh and party.   
Heeheehee." The thing breathed rankly into her face. She recoiled   
from the stench and felt blood run across her brow. The thing then   
pitched her through several more classrooms.  
  
Somehow, she managed to spin herself around and land on her   
feet. It hurt like heck, though. Standing in the middle of a small   
quadrangle, she assumed a fighting stance. It was time to fight   
fire with fire. She transformed herself into Mars before the   
lurching figure leapt from the hole she had recently made.  
  
She thrust her fist forward and planted it into the thing's   
middle. It let out a short, strangulated cry and made a large hole   
in the wall itself. Rei then let off a couple of explosive flame   
sniper shots where she had last seen it.  
  
The school exploded, big time, blowing Rei approximately two-  
hundred feet into the air. Oh bugger, she thought, I forgot about   
the gas burners in the labs.  
  
----o  
  
Jadeite watched the explosion with shock. He had been sure   
he'd felt the pulse of energy that came from a senshi transformation   
only seconds before.... Now that pulse, and its residual hum, had   
died down to a whimper.  
  
The heat and shockwave from the blast rushed past him as he   
stood on the school oval, but he stood stock still as if it were   
nothing. Mars was in danger. HIS Mars. The senshi that belonged   
to HIM.  
  
He mouthed an incantation and disappeared from the spot.   
Moments later, VesVes arrived on the scene, leaping over the back   
fence, and stared in stunned disbelief.  
  
"Shit, didn't know the girl had that kind of oomph in her."   
She shook her head and smiled, wandering forward slowly.  
  
----o  
  
Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru stood on the roof of the apartment  
complex in which Jadeite lived. To the north-east, there was an  
explosion of vast proportions, which grabbed their attention rather  
well.  
  
"What the HELL was THAT?" Haruka said, eyes wide.  
"If I'm not mistaken, that's our comrade, dear Mars, getting a  
little eager to use some of her more explosive spells." Setsuna said   
with a hint of amusement.  
"Why? Whats she doing it for?"  
"Because she is being attacked by a Resonator."  
  
Haruka and Michiru stared at each other, then back at Setsuna.  
  
"Alright, we give up. What's a Resonator?"  
"A very simple lifeform. Like a mental leech, Resonators have   
the intellectual capacity of a single neuron, so they are driven, by   
impulse, to attach themselves to hosts that have extremely high mental   
energy. They then manipulate the host so that both have similar   
objectives. In short, the host uses the Resonators as their tools for   
whatever they want to achieve, and the Resonators breed by being sent   
to places where there are beings with great intellects."  
"So whats a Resonator look like when they're at home?"  
"Anything, really. They're mimics. That's how they get around   
so easily."  
"So what would one want with Rei?"  
"I'd say it was pissed off with what happened to it at the shrine.   
After all, it has spent several months trying to emulate Mamoru, and   
has its cover blown in a matter of seconds through the powers of my   
lovely, brilliant, highly intellectual sister." Setsuna snorted to   
herself.  
  
Haruka and Michiru stared at each other, then back at Setsuna.  
  
"So what do we do with Usagi's body?" Michiru thumbed the comatose   
lump that sat against the roof's railing.  
"Take it back to my place. Then prepare yourselves for something   
really big."  
"Hmm? What is it?"  
"A real brown-panty special, I can tell you."  
  
----o  
  
Rei found herself landing in some arms. It was a nice, soft   
catch, whoever it was. She looked up, and saw Jadeite smiling down at   
her.  
  
"Sorry I'm so late."  
"BURNING MANDALA!"  
  
Jadeite wasn't expecting that after he'd just saved her from   
breaking her neck. Fortunately, about the best that ran off her hands   
was just enough to light a match.  
  
"Sorry, Jadeite. Don't think I can fight you right nooowwwww..."   
She passed out, flopping in Jadeite's arms. He shook his head.  
"Silly little fool." He should have known better than to think   
that she would take him any differently than as the villain she had   
last experienced him as.  
  
He heard a chittering sound, and something began to emerge from   
the smoke and debris of the blast. Slowly, he placed Rei on the   
ground and looked up at the figure.... A Bizarre mixture of Mamoru,   
Usagi and something else.... Was that Saturn, or Pluto? Whatever   
the case, it was pretty damned ugly, and was staring intently at both   
Rei and himself.  
  
"Jadeite... General of Queen Beryl. Wanna kill lots of Sailor   
Senshi... Collect energy, kill and have fun." It garbled, its   
tortured face twisting into a bizarre and perverse smile.  
  
"Hey freak... Gotta light?" Jadeite smiled and mumbled an  
incantation. His hands waved, almost dancing with precision. The  
Resonator drooled and let out a whispered countenance. Beams of   
energy flew from Jadeite's hands, striking the shield the Resonator   
put up to protect itself. Not quite quickly enough, though. It was   
blown back into the smoke.  
  
Jadeite spat. The thing was still alive after getting THAT  
from him. He quickly picked up Rei and turned to run, only to come   
face to face with VesVes.  
  
"Hiya Jade-chan. Where do you think you're going with Rei?"  
"This way, very fast."  
  
Jadeite bowled through her at great speed. For a few moments,  
VesVes stared after him in disbelief. Then she heard the chittering   
of the Resonator behind her and decided to follow him, just as the   
ground where she had been standing exploded in a fireball of lightly   
large dimensions.  
  
VesVes was thrown through the air, landing on top of Jadeite   
just as he made the main gate of the school. All three sprawled   
across the ground, Rei stirring as she felt the impact.  
  
"You bloody idiot." Jadeite turned on VesVes, who was sitting   
on top of him. She held up her hands in a gesture seeking forgiveness.  
"Gomen." She giggled inanely.  
  
Jadeite threw her off and looked back into the school as Rei got   
to her feet. "What the hell is happening here. My head hurts real   
bad." She mumbled.  
"Oh KAMI-SAMA!" Jadeite croaked, pointing back in the school  
grounds. As Rei helped VesVes to her feet, the pair followed his  
directions.  
  
From the smoke emerged something that was even less than the  
humanoid figure it had been moments before. The human body, making   
up the head and abdomen, was surrounded by nine monstrous legs, like   
a combination between that of a spider, an octopus and a crab. The   
"head" lifted up, drooling oozing, viscous saliva from its mouth.  
  
"Need sustenance. You will do." It croaked  
  
Jadeite, VesVes and Rei stared at each other.  
"I don't like the sound of that." Said VesVes.  
"What do we do?" Rei blinked.  
"We run." Jadeite turned the two girls in front of him.   
"Exit Stage Left Special. Haruda Maruda Kishniath!" Jadeite   
muttered as the Resonator leapt through the air, making an effort to  
pounce of them. Just as it landed on the ground, they flashed and  
disappeared. It stared around quickly, looking for them.  
  
"You cannot get away. I mark you. You be hunted forever   
until one of us dead." There was a scream from the houses nearby.  
Some of the local residents, brought from their homes by the blast,  
stared and pointed at the Resonator in shock and fear. It licked   
its lips. "They do, for snack."  
  
It charged forward, after the hapless locals. Within twenty  
minutes, it had ripped, torn and eaten most of those who had lived   
within a block's radius of the school.  
  
----o  
  
The bed and Breakfast was comfortable enough for the small  
amount of cash it took to stay there. The only problem was they  
only had just enough to stay there for a couple of nights, and that  
was just the one room!  
  
Usagi sat at the table with Crow and Nyanko, staring miserably  
at the four-poster double bed as Mouse bounced on it.  
  
"Good springs. Nice and soft, this." Mouse stopped and sat  
on the bed's edge. "I guess this means we're gonna hafta draw   
straws to see who's gonna get it?" Mouse popped on her shades and  
lay back.  
  
"Pretty much." Crow sniffed. "It probably means we'll have  
to share the bed, two a night."  
"I'm not sleeping with Siren." Nyanko screwed up her nose.  
"I'm not sleeping with Nyanko." Came Siren's voice from the  
bathroom, where she was busy staring at herself in the mirror. "Oh  
will you look at that. All that travelling has made a mess of my  
complexion. I told you the sun was bad for my skin."  
  
Crow chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm not that concerned.  
You look fine to me."  
"Aww, you're just saying that. Much more of this and I'll be  
as shrivelled as a prune."  
"Barf." Nyanko leaned on her arms over the table. Usagi   
looked at her questioningly as Crow stepped over to the doorway to  
the bathroom.  
"What's eating you?"  
"Hmm? Don't you know? About Crow and Siren?"  
"Do I want to?"  
"No."  
"Then don't tell me." Usagi sniffed and picked up her   
backpack, which she had placed against her leg. It was about this  
point that she remembered she didn't have a backpack like the   
others, and wondered what the hell she was doing with one now. She  
pulled a rattling pouch from the backpack, watched by a frowning  
Nyanko.  
  
"Whats that?" Nyanko sat up.  
"Dunno. I found this backpack sitting by my leg. Just sorta  
appeared there, and this was in it."  
"Way weird, man, this being dead business."  
Usagi opened the pouch and gagged.  
  
"What? What's in there?" Nyanko stood up and looked into the  
pouch, and gagged herself.  
  
"GOLD!!! IT'S GOLD!!!" Nyanko croaked. Mouse, Crow and   
Siren all stared at her.  
"What is?" Mouse hopped off the bed and Nyanko grabbed the  
bag from Usagi.  
"This is." Nyanko showed Mouse the contents.  
"What? These grey-silver things?" Mouse put her hand in and  
pulled out a simple grey coin. Nyanko blinked.  
"Waitaminute.... That was gold a moment ago...."  
"Looks like plain old tin to me." Mouse studied the coin.   
"Yep, this is tin alright." Mouse took the bag from the devastated  
Nyanko.  
"I could have sworn... It WAS gold, wasn't it, Usagi?"  
"It was... When we looked in the bag...."  
  
Mouse made a huffing sound and Nyanko turned to her.  
"What is it?"  
"Can't be just tin, feels like its gotten heavier all of a   
sudden." Mouse looked in the bag and dragged another coin out as  
Crow and Siren joined them. "This ain't tin, this is an IRON coin.  
Well I'll be, must be some cheap-ass country that makes its money  
outta this stuff."  
  
Siren huffed. "What the hell would one want with a bag full  
of iron coins?" Siren grabbed the bag and weighed it. "Hey, this  
ain't so heavy. You must be getting weak, Mousie."  
"Hmph, just cos I'm the smallest."  
"And don't you look it?"  
  
Mouse stared at the two coins she was holding and gasped.   
"Ehh? These.... These aren't tin and iron anymore...." Indeed,  
the two coins had changed colour, now appearing a dull grey.  
  
"Well, what the hell are they?" Crow mumbled.  
"They're.... Wait a minute here..." Mouse looked at Siren a  
moment, then at Nyanko. "Siren, can you give that bag to me a  
moment?"  
  
Siren shrugged and obliged. Mouse dropped the two coins into  
the bag and smiled at Crow. "Now, Crow, my dear, will you kindly  
take this bag from me?"  
"Hmm? Alright then, but I hardly see what this will proAAGH!"  
  
Crow had taken the bag from Mouse, and almost pitched forward  
onto the floor. "What the hell is this? Its so bloody HEAVY."   
Crow managed to keep her balance, but struggled to hold up the bag.  
  
"Have a look inside, will you?" Mouse turned her head on an  
angle and Crow frowned. She opened up the bag and looked inside.  
"Jeez, they're all kinda dark now. Sorta like... Sorta   
like..."  
"Sorta like lead?"  
"Yeah, that's it."  
"As in LEAD Crow?"  
  
Crow, Siren, Nyanko and Usagi all looked at Mouse, then   
realisation dawned on them. "Then they were aluminium when I was  
holding them?" Siren blinked.  
"Indeed." Said Mouse. "Lead for Crow, Aluminium for Siren,  
Iron for me and Tin for Nyanko. On top of that, however..." She  
turned to Usagi, and they all followed her gaze. "...We have a  
newfound friend we have dubbed GOLD Usagi."  
  
The implications of this sank in. Crow quickly handed Usagi  
the bag, and opened it up to reveal... Gold coins! Mouse took out  
on of the coins and bit into it. There were deep toothmarks left  
in the side.  
"Shit a brick, this is 24 carat! Pure gold, no impurities."  
"Hey, hey... What if I rename myself Platinum Siren?" Siren  
grabbed the bag and looked inside as the others stared at her.  
"Platinum Siren?" Nyanko snorted. "Surely, it isn't that  
simple." Siren smirked and held the bag open to her.  
"Oh yeah, well cop these little beauties. One hundred percent  
platinum, girl. Try outdoing that!"  
  
Indeed, they were platinum. Usagi stood to look inside with  
the others. "You mean this is some kind of magic bag that gives us  
coins in whatever metal we've named ourselves?"  
"That would seem to be the case." Siren grinned like a   
cheshire cat. Well, considering she was half fish, like a shark on  
steroids. Nyanko, not one to avoid a piece of the action, had a go.  
"Well then, I'm Diamond Nyanko." She grabbed the bad from  
Siren and looked in. She reached in and pulled out huge diamonds  
the likes of which could never be found in this number in one place  
in reality. "Hoo... I like this bag." Nyanko smiled, then thought  
of something. "Just where the hell did it come from, anyway?"  
  
"Who cares?" Siren rubbed her hands with glee. "Our   
financial woes are over."  
"Maybe." Mouse took the bag from Nyanko, forgetting she was  
still Iron Mouse. "Uhh.... Silver Mouse?" She looked in at the  
gleaming silver coins. "Oh well, there's something I wanna try."  
She emptied the bag on the table, silver coins falling into a loose  
pile. She then handed the empty bag to Usagi. For a moment, Usagi  
thought the bag would remain empty, and was surprised to feel the  
bulk and weight of a full bag again. She, Mouse and Nyanko looked  
inside. it was full of gold coins again. They then turned back  
to the table, which was still covered in silver coins.  
  
"Well, that settles that problem." Mouse said.  
"What problem?" Crow raised an eyebrow.  
"Of whether we run out of money as soon as the bag is empty.  
I dare suggest that it will fill up again every time it is emptied,  
as long as it is held by a new person."  
  
There was a knock at the door to their room. They stared at  
each other.  
"Quick, hide those coins." Crow pointed to the silver coins  
on the table. Nyanko and Usagi began to scrape the coins into   
Usagi's backpack. Siren ran up to the door as Crow gave the pair  
a wind-up signal to tell them to hurry. Once the coins were in,   
Usagi bundled the backpack and the pouch bag under the bed.  
  
She and Nyanko then sat at the table, attempting to look cool  
and calm as Mouse lay back on the bed. Crow stood by the open fire  
that crackled softly off to one side. Siren nodded and opened the  
door slightly, keeping the chain on.  
  
"Hello?"  
"Hello. May I come in?"  
"Umm..." Siren turned to the others, looking confused.  
"Who is it?" Usagi whispered.  
"A man, young, kinda good looking. Dressed smart."  
  
The girls all raised their eyebrows.  
"Should I let him in?" Siren shrugged.  
"Go ahead." Crow gestured. Siren turned back and shut the  
door slightly, undoing the chain. She then opened it widely and  
revealed a man, dressed in a 19th century business suit, with long  
brown hair tied back in a tail and piercing gray eyes.  
  
"Hello." he said. "My name is Mistral LeFevre. I am here on  
the business of my mistress, the Lady Scorpia...."  
  
----o  
  
It had taken Tomoe some time to reach the roof of the   
building. It was at least twelve storeys high, and that was   
murderous for one ascending them by stairs. At least, for someone  
his age. It was a different story entirely for the hyperactive  
Usagis, who seemed to go up and down in less than a couple of  
minutes.  
  
He felt slightly annoyed with himself, bringing up the topic  
of her return to her own time with the Youma. After everything that  
had happened in the year that she had arrived.... What with   
Hotaru's unusual behaviour, and what had gone on between the two of  
them.... What kind of response did he expect from her?  
  
He ascended the final few steps and found the new arrival   
being greeted by two of her counterparts. They turned to look at  
him as he appeared.  
  
"Ah, sensei.... This is the girl..."  
"Konnichiwa." The Usagi bowed to him politely. That was the  
first difference he noticed with this Usagi. She had her hands  
crossed over in front of her and she exuded a kind of serene poise.  
"Konnichiwa. It is very nice to meet you... Uh... Usagi."  
"Iya. My name is not Usagi. It is Usako."  
"Ah, gomen na sai." The Professor bowed slightly. Yes   
indeed, this one WAS different from the others. Conciously   
different. He'd noted in the Usagis that Hotaru had brought an  
incipient gleam of individuality. Each presenting mildly different  
reactions to the same situation, except for the Youma, of course.  
She was different because she THOUGHT she was the real Usagi.  
  
This one, however, had developed far more than the others. He  
had no idea what could have caused this particular subject to have  
become so radically unlike the original Usagi, but he dared suggest  
to himself that her range of experience may have been greater than  
the others.  
  
"Don't worry, sensei, we'll take care of her." Said one of  
the two Usagis. He nodded to them and to Usako, who nodded back,  
and they left through the roof entrance.  
  
he then turned aside and looked at the far end of the roof,  
where the roof was most in shadow. There sat Hotaru, puffing on  
a half-smoked black cigarette. The smell of the smoke was intensely  
fragrant, and he wondered where the girl got her hands on the   
things.  
  
She was dressed, as usual, in a black minidress, long black   
socks and ripple-sole shoes, and had a black scarf tied around her  
head with a large flourish off to one side. Her expression seemed  
kind of distant. Not that that surprised him. It was pretty par  
for the course for Hotaru of late.  
  
"Ahem... Hotaru-chan..." He stepped forward and she turned  
to him. She seemed mildly disinterested with his presence, or was  
wasted. One of the two. "You wished to see me?"  
"Ah... Otosan..." Hotaru snapped her fingers, as if   
recognising him for the first time. "I'm sorry, I was elsewhere.  
I wanted to speak with you about this new, umm, this new girl."  
"Yes?"  
  
Hotaru drew on the cigarette and blew the smoke downwards.  
For a few moments she seemed to lose the thread of the conversation,  
then looked up at him again and nodded. "I take it you heard that  
she prefers to be called Usako?"  
"Yes."  
"Well, I would prefer it if you didn't try to dissuade her   
from this grasp for individuality." Hotaru sniffed, wiping her nose  
as if it were running. It wasn't.  
  
"Why this particular one? I mean, she shows obvious   
development over the others in terms of individual character, but  
they'll all go that way, eventually. So why this one?"  
"Don't ask questions. Just do it."  
  
He was taken aback by his daughter's brusqueness. She jumped  
from the side wall and stepped over to him, her efforts seemingly a  
little unsteady. She stopped before him, standing almost eye to eye  
with him.  
  
"That girl... She's the only one I've found who understands  
what I'm going through. The only one. She's my friend, do you  
understand? All the others can get fucked as far as I'm concerned."  
Hotaru spat the words out, and he could smell alcohol on her breath.  
Personally, he was amazed she'd managed to have command of her   
powers enough to fly both herself and the girl here.  
  
Hotaru was far from finished, though. "Yeah, they can get  
fucked, especially that bitch you keep as a plaything." She spat  
to one side, took one more draw from the cigarette and stamped it  
under her foot.  
  
"How can you talk like that, Hotaru...? Look at the state  
you're in." He felt himself getting angry, despite himself.  
"Hoo, shit yeah, I'm in a shit of a state at the moment. But  
I suppose its better than being dead, just." For a moment, just  
for a moment, he thought he saw tears in the corners of her eyes.  
Then she wiped them, and that was the end of that.  
  
"I think you better take a bath and go to bed. You're in no  
fit state to do anything for the rest of the day."  
"Do you think I feel like doing anything for the rest of the  
day? Shit, no." She smiled at him bitterly. "Just keep the gun  
cabinet locked. There's a brain in my head that's inviting bullets  
to come and visit at the moment." She staggered away, stepping  
through the roof entrance.  
  
He watched her go, then rubbed his head. Everything was   
getting so damned complicated. he couldn't even begin to imagine  
what had made Hotaru like this.  
  
He was sure he didn't want to know.  
  
----o  
  
In another time, another place, Hotaru awoke and found herself  
strapped to a large chair.  
  
"It would appear that she is awake." Said a soft voice. She  
couldn't see where the voice was coming from because of a light that  
shone brightly in her eyes. Like a dentist's chair, she thought.  
Then she realised, to her horror, that that was exactly what it was.  
  
"Ah, then, young girl. It would appear you are this infamous  
Saturn that we've all been hearing about." There were murmurs of  
disquiet around her. Still, she could see nothing. "Well, I think  
its time to see just how tough this 'Saturn' person really is, don't  
you?"  
  
This time, there were murmurs of agreement. From the   
darkness, an Usagi, dressed as a surgeon, stepped forward, holding   
an electric drill and a set of pliers. Hotaru stared at her in  
fear.  
  
"Yes, my dear child. It would seem you have developed your  
wisdom teeth at last. I don't like that. Why a brat like you  
should have your growth accelarated around me..."  
  
Hotaru tried to reply, but found herself devoid of the   
strength, or voice, to do so. The Usagi surgeon grabbed her by the  
hair and wrenched her head back.  
  
"Are you listening to me, you ugly little freak of nature?   
Eh? We've been tormented every day of our existences with stories  
of your coming. And now you are here and you present to us this  
weak, pathetic facade. Well, I think its time to pay you back for  
all that torment, don't you?"  
  
Hotaru felt tears enter her eyes as the surgeon forced her  
mouth open with the pliers. No matter how she struggled to keep it  
jammed shut... Those pliers were stronger. Soon, her mouth was  
clamped open. Then the surgeon switched on the drill and looked  
inside her mouth, shaking her head.  
  
"Ooohh dear, we are so PERFECT in there, aren't we? We can't  
have that." Hotaru winced as she felt the drill being pushed into  
her mouth. Then the drill made contact with her lower left wisdom  
tooth.....  
  
Blood and saliva sprayed everywhere.  
  
And her cries of pain didn't get any further than the rrom.  
  
----o  
  
Hotaru lay on her bed, reaching into her mouth. The wisdom  
teeth were still there... She had to touch them to remind herself.  
Her body was untouched... Unsullied...  
  
No, that wasn't true. Not anymore. She KNEW what had   
happened to her there was the truth. They DID torment her that way.  
And she had spent the rest of the time since tormenting herself.  
  
"Get over it..." Said the voice in her head.  
"I don't want to." She said to herself.  
"Its all in the past."  
"It hurts now."  
"Stop blaming yourself for things you couldn't control."  
"I want to blame myself. It feels good to HURT myself this   
way. There isn't anyone else who CAN be blamed."  
"You're a fool."  
"I am a damned fool."  
  
Hotaru sat up in her bed as two Usagis walked past her bedroom   
door. She rubbed her head.... It was stupid to have behaved that  
way in front of her father.... But she couldn't help it. The pain  
she felt inside could only be truly satiated by hurting those who  
cared for her the most.  
  
"Go to sleep." Said the voice in her head. "You'll feel   
better in the morning."  
"I'll have a hangover in the morning." She said, as she fell  
back onto her pillow. She stared out at her hand for a few moments.  
Her eyes became heavy and she smiled. "Come, sweet package of   
death, take me away from this life if only for a short while."  
  
She closed her eyes, and fell into a shallow, restless sleep.  
  
  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
and again  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
  
END OF PART 10  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Notes  
  
And another chapter rolls off the production line, and oh what a  
happy, joyous one this was to behold. ^_^  
  
Well, maybe not for Hotaru fans, anyway. The question is... Will  
she be able to pull herself out of this malaise?  
  
And so, what is happening back at Ami's house? What is happening  
with Minako and Usako? What is happening with Mamoru and the 4P  
Chibiusa? Well, you didn't expect me to fit all that into this  
chapter, did you?  
  
And anyway, this chapter coughed up enough nastiness. After doing  
a minor character assassination on Ami a few chapters back, I'll  
now have all the Hotaru fans ready to rip me to shreds. ^_^  
  
Oh, and I WAS thinking of Shojo Kakumei Utena when I came up with  
the idea for the Academy. I'm almost tempted to write a Marmalade  
Bot-esque love triangle into there, but I'm reminded that that isn't  
the point of this fic. Oh well, most of the plot threads from this  
one shall be tied up over the next few chapters.  
  
Next - Chapter 11 - Letters to the Predator. Coming soon.  
  
All comments, criticism and flames from Hotaru fans should be sent  
to darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
DDFA 


	11. Part 11: Letters to the Predator

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 11  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
IRC: Mappy^_^ (or PsychoBathplug) on DALnet's #AJAS  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so  
these characters really belong to them, except ones I made up, in  
which case, if I see anyone using them, I'll murder ya! ^_^ (In  
the nicest possible way, of course).  
  
  
Part Eleven  
Letters to the Predator  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
and again  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
The dead, are but for a moment, motionless....  
  
  
  
  
Jadeite's transportation spell had managed to get the trio  
about as far as the next district before he collapsed in exhaustion.  
Rei and VesVes watched him in confusion as he fell on all fours,  
coughing and spitting on the ground.  
  
"Whats going on here, Jadeite? Why are you helping me?" Rei  
felt unsteady on her feet... The injuries she'd suffered in her   
fight with the Resonator making her giddy.  
"That damned freak of a thing." Jadeite looked up at them.   
"It tried to drain me of my power. ME! Of all people. That freak  
is going to HAVE to DIE!"  
"Just answer my question, Jadeite!" Rei had had about enough.  
"I'm helping you cos I feel like it, alright? Do you hear   
those noises?" Jadeite managed to get to his feet as Rei and VesVes  
listened.  
"I don't hear anything." Rei stumbled slightly, and Jadeite  
caught her. Realising this, Rei pushed him away. "I don't need  
your help!"  
"Well, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you do. You see, that thing  
has out scent, and it won't matter where we go or how far we travel,  
it wants to kill us." There was an explosion not that far away, and  
all three turned to see a cloud of smoke rising into the sky.  
  
"This is insane." Rei watched as another explosion rose into  
the night sky, staggering back slightly as she was hit by the warm  
force of the shockwave. "What the hell is that thing doing?"  
"Killing. Absorbing DNA and feeding on living tissue, be it  
human, animal or vegetable. That's the way it breeds, you see.   
Collect as much DNA as possible, then find a suitable powerful being  
as the intellectual host for a new wave of resonators."  
  
"A Resonator!" VesVes shook her head. "How did one of those   
get on this planet?"  
"My guess is it was guided here. All Resonators have hosts.  
Maybe this particular host wants the human race dead. Not that I  
entirely disagree with those sentiments..."  
"This isn't the time or place to be discussing its method of  
arrival. The fact is, its here, and its wrecking a goodly portion  
of town."  
  
There was a third explosion. The closest, and biggest, of the  
lot. The trio all stared at each other.  
  
"What do we do? We can't outrun that thing." Rei put a hand  
to her mouth.  
"How about I try and cast a transport spell? Maybe it hasn't  
tried to drain me yet?" VesVes bit her lower lip.  
"Yeah, you could try that, but it depends on where you want to  
go. Wherever we go, we'll draw that thing along with us." Jadeite  
huffed. "It would be better if we tackle it head on."  
"That will most likely get us killed. I vote we run and   
regather ourselves." Rei looked at VesVes, who nodded.  
"WHERE? WHERE WILL WE GO?" Jadeite gritted his teeth. "You  
drag us back to your friends, and they'll become targets too. It  
wants superior lifeforms like our good selves. We are perfect  
intellectual stock." Jadeite shook a fist at them. "And besides,  
I'm not going to take having my energy drained by such a parasite."  
  
"Well bully for you." Rei snorted. "I'm going with redhead  
here. She may be a psychotic witch, but its better than hanging   
around an obssessed bastard like you. And besides, half of your   
powers are gone... Whaddayagonna do, eh?"  
  
Jadeite made frustrated gagging noises, then grabbed both   
girls by the shoulders. "Very well, but don't say I didn't warn   
you." VesVes nodded and closed her eyes, mumbling an incantation.  
In a matter of moments, they disappeared.  
  
----o  
  
The darkness and silence of the building, this late at night,  
made Usako feel very concious of her movements through it. The  
soft padding of her socked feet echoed like sandpaper across a  
rough surface. She wondered if anyone was going to bother to check  
on her movements.  
  
Nobody did, of course. Most of everyone decided to bed down  
after Professor Tomoe had shut off the generator. It came as no  
surprise to her that the Youma Usagi entered the same bedroom as the  
good Professor. Of course, she had been warned about that   
beforehand, so the whisperings of her Usagi counterparts were   
nothing new.  
  
She stopped at the open doorway of Hotaru's bedroom and looked  
in. A candle was still burning on the dresser, so she could see the  
young woman, tossing and turning on her spartan bunk. As far as   
Hotaru was concerned, the fact that she spent so little time here  
meant there was no reason for her to place the usual affectations   
one would expect in such a private domain.  
  
Perhaps it was a concious effort to leave so little behind if  
anything were to happen to her. Usako knew everything about Hotaru.  
What had happened five years ago. What had happened since then.  
A look of grief swept across Usako's face as she stepped into the  
bedroom and stood beside the bunk.  
  
Although she had every right to feel this way, Hotaru carried  
some deeply-ingrained suicide fantasies. And that was the biggest  
irony of all, because it didn't matter how hard she tried to hurt  
herself, her body just kept on healing. Hotaru had finally been  
blessed with the eternal good health she had long sought, only for  
her mind to go to pieces.  
  
Usako sat on the bunk beside her, quite certain that Hotaru  
would not stir from her presence. The young woman had pumped enough  
chemicals into her body to start a small pharmaceutical company. Is  
the pain really that great, Hotaru-chan? Usako thought to herself.  
Slowly, gently, she reached over and touched the restless girl on  
the forehead. A beam of warm and soft energy passed between them,  
and Hotaru lay still, finally calmed of her nightmares.  
  
Usako brushed tenderly at Hotaru's hair. They were pretty  
much even, now. She had saved Hotaru, all those years ago, and now  
Hotaru had saved her. It was a pure fluke that Hotaru had found  
her, of course, much to her good fortune.  
  
  
Regardless of the fact that Usagis were so universally   
despised by the survivors of the cataclysm, everyone had heard, and   
at the very least respected, the one known as Usako the Healer.   
Well, almost everyone.   
  
Despite the good works that she had done in her travels across   
the lands to which she had access, there were always going to be   
those who were going to hate her simply because she was seen as   
'another Usagi'.  
  
She had been tricked into travelling to a region north of   
Tomoe's building fortress in the hope of using the strange magical  
powers she had been blessed with to cure children who had been  
struck down with an outbreak of influenza... A truly virulent and  
nasty strain, she'd been told.  
  
Without fear of the virus (she was somehow immune to the  
diseases that affected others), she made her way to the region, only  
to find the story was a lie, to ensnare her for a politically   
motivated show-trial, carried out by the violently anti-Usagi local  
governor.  
  
Naturally, all the grievances the locals had about Usagis   
(real or imagined) were dragged out as evidence of her evil, and she  
was sentenced to death.   
  
Locked away, and ready to face the public hanging that was her   
destiny, she found herself, in the middle of the night, bundled from   
her cell by some terrified guards and peasants, into the arms of   
"Black Saturn".  
  
It was easy to understand why they were so frightened of   
Hotaru. After hearing of the showtrial, whilst travelling through  
the region on her search for an infamous assassin, she had come   
charging in like a bull in a china shop, demanding the head of the   
governor.  
  
Now, it is a well known fact that Saturn was worshipped by  
some as something of a dark goddess. That was how she'd earnt the   
name Black Saturn, long ago discarding the senshi sailorfuku for a  
black dress costume that was singularly imposing to anyone who  
saw it, especially when it was matched with the glaive pointing  
at the throat.   
  
Of course, most of the stories about Black Saturn.... The   
orgies, the sinister rituals, the killings and the mass destruction,   
were patently false. Hotaru had better things to do with her time   
than run around like the devil incarnate, simply to keep up her   
reputation. That didn't mean she tried to deny it, though. Usako   
got the impression that she rather enjoyed the fear she engendered   
in people. And, of course, she knew that that wasn't doing anything   
for the girl's state of mind.  
  
  
And so, the governor of the region was forced to make a public  
apology, the sentence against Usako was quashed, and the peasants  
and villagers of the region spent the next few days bowing to  
effigies of Saturn. One of Hotaru's little jokes, that last one.  
She really couldn't have given a stuff whether people worshipped  
her or not. All that had mattered to her was saving Usako.  
  
It took the next couple of days to get back to the fortress.  
In that time, Hotaru was able to tell Usako the things she'd endured   
since they had last parted company. For two nights in a row, the  
young woman had cried herself to sleep in Usako's arms. It almost  
made Usako feel as if she was not allowed to grieve over her   
friend's misfortunes. But she didn't mind.  
  
  
The pain she had suffered, both mental and physical. In that   
time, Hotaru had shown her the after-effects of the trauma... Mood   
swings and chronic depression, alcoholism and various other   
addictions, even moments of apparent psychosis. It was frightening  
to see Hotaru talking to herself. No, not so much talking.... More  
like arguing... Trying to come to terms with the nature of her   
problems.  
  
She had even shown Usako the scars she bore across her wrists   
she wouldn't allow to fully heal.... A constant reminder to her of   
what could be, what could have been. And Usako comforted her, as   
best as she could, even when Hotaru tried to reject the kind words,   
the genuine feelings of caring and sadness. There was nothing   
Hotaru could do to resist the powers that Usako now carried within.   
The power to heal. And she was determined to heal the wounds within   
Hotaru.  
  
  
"Not feeling tired, are we?" Usako turned to see the Youma  
standing in the doorway, wearing nothing more than a nightdress.  
  
"Hotaru was restless. She needed to be calmed."  
  
"How sweet." The youma sniffed. "I suppose she has told you  
about our little bargain?" Usako rubbed her chin at this.  
  
"Indeed she has. I find it cruel to hang that kind of   
responsibilty over her head."  
  
"So tell me, what else was I to do to stop her topping   
herself?" The youma cocked her head to one side. "I'm not as  
uncaring as you seem to think I am." She crossed her arms as Usako   
looked down at Hotaru.  
  
"I understand your motivations, but not your methods."  
  
"It'll work, as long as I'm here. But I'm willing to put   
money on a quick death for her as soon as I return to my time."  
  
Usako slowly stood. "I don't agree. I shall see to it that  
Hotaru is removed of this curse."  
  
"She feels responsible, you know, for the others dying. She  
knows that if she tries to kill me, the others may be saved. And  
yet she knows she can't, because firstly she doesn't have the power  
and secondly, if she does, she'll create a time paradox."  
  
"There is no guarentee that they are dead."  
  
"Ah, well, there is that possibility that I may fail. But it  
doesn't change the fact that they haven't been found, anywhere. And  
Hotaru feels she has been left behind."  
  
"There is more to it than simply that. Hotaru's problems are  
greater than the sense of abandonment."  
  
"Don't you think I know? I saved her life when we bumped into  
each other that first time, in Shin Kyoto. It took her a good month   
before she was willing to leave her room after that... affair, for  
want of a better word."  
  
Usako closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them  
again. "Nevertheless, I love Hotaru. She is the only person in   
this world I can call family. I would be most happy if you were to  
be circumspect in your relationship with her."  
  
"Oh, don't you worry. I've been circumspect ever since I got  
here. She isn't giving me much choice."  
  
"Then stay that way and leave, before we wake her."  
  
The pair stared at each other.... Like mirror images of the  
souls that existed within. Then the youma turned and walked away   
from the open doorway. Usako breathed a sigh of relief and turned  
back to the peacefully sleeping Hotaru.  
  
"Don't you worry, my child." She whispered. "What comes   
around will go around."  
  
----o  
  
The lone figure stood atop the building, looking down at the  
vast complex of the Usagi Production Plant. Soon, her enemies,   
known as the Usagi Liberation Front, were going to make a break for  
power. It had been said that Aosagi had successfully captured the  
insidious Saturn. For what purpose, she wondered.... Surely not  
to torment the girl... That was tantamount to suicide. Or perhaps  
Saturn was reluctant to use her immense powers of destruction?  
  
Whatever the case, things were about to change in a big way  
within the city. She turned her head and looked towards the   
horizon. Black dots were appearing from everywhere, getting closer  
and closer. Destiny awaited her.  
  
Gently, she rested a hand on the sword she carried at her   
waist. It was not a sword for killing. She had long ago cast that   
side of her life away. She had dedicated her life to bringing about   
a revolution.... To defend the people with her skills, and, never   
again, to kill.  
  
She turned, and bore witness to the sight of Venus, two cats  
and an Usagi in pink, racing through the busy streets towards the  
factory. It was time to make her move....  
  
----o  
  
"Hotaruuu...." It was a soft and pleasant voice that enetered  
the head of the half-concious young woman. She opened her eyes and  
stared into darkness. She tasted blood.... Ah yes, the Usagi   
Liberation Front's little bit of dental surgery.... The forced  
removal of perfectly healthy wisdom teeth. She'll probably die from  
the loss of blood. Anaemia, just another one of her many health  
problems.  
  
"Hotaruuu...." The voice called again. She couldn't see   
where it was coming from. Slowly, she lifted her head, and realised  
she was unbound. She also realised that lifting her head was about  
the limit she could achieve in her current state. She stared into  
the darkness, searching desperately for some break in the ebon mist.  
There was none, and she began to panic. She hated the dark....  
She was terrified of the loss of control it represented. Without  
light one was ensnared in a sense of the nonphysical. She preferred  
the physical, the solid. Not for her were the lyrical beauties of  
the mind and soul, regardless of her philosophical nature.  
  
"Hotaruuu...."  
"Who's there? Show yourself..." She croaked weakly.  
"Hotaru... Accept your element. Accept it and revel in it."  
"No! I hate it! Take it away."  
  
The voice paused. She was sure she could hear sounds, like  
breathing noises.... Much longer than the breaths of a human. More  
like long sighs. Like the sound a fridge makes, a humming combined  
with a hissing background. She struggled to feel what it was she  
was lying on. The crackle of vinyl told her it was most probably  
still the dentist's chair. And yet, she knew it wasn't.  
  
Slowly, she attempted to roll from the chair, swinging her  
legs over the side. She put a foot down and felt for the floor.  
There was none.  
  
She reached the foot down further and further, trying to find  
the elusive floor, to the point where she was hanging on to the  
side of the chair, feeling for the floor. Giving up, she struggled  
to lift herself back onto the chair, almost slipping. She was  
surprised she had that much strength in her, anyway.  
  
"Don't resist the urge, Hotaru." The voice whispered softly  
as she lay back down on the chair.  
"The only urge I have right now is the urge to get away from  
this place." Hotaru whispered back.  
"You will think differently when the time comes."  
  
----o  
  
Mamoru sat, biting his nails, watching as the 4P stuffed her  
face with just about anything he'd ordered his Usagi subordinates to  
bring him. She certainly ate like Chibiusa... But then, they all   
did.... Well, most of them, anyways. It had been his charter since  
he arrived to create the perfect Usagi, and that meant every little  
detail of imperfection.... So there was a distinct possibility that  
this being whom he thought of as Chibiusa may just be a common or  
garden Usagi after all.  
  
But he doubted it. Within the very core of his being, at that  
moment her attitude and reactions had changed, he knew Chibiusa had  
somehow been placed into the body. The very essence of a Tsuki no  
Hime....  
  
"Do you like the food, Chibiusa?"  
"Mm, is good. What is it?"  
"The very best the City has to offer. Everything Usako liked  
to eat." For some reason, Chibiusa choked when he said that.  
"Lets not talk about her, okay? I might look like her, but  
I'm not her, okay?"  
  
He was taken aback. "Um, okay, if you say so Chibi-chan."  
She smiled at him. "Its good to see your real face, Mamo-  
chan. Terrible things were happening in the other world...."  
"What?" Mamoru was concerned. "Is Usako okay?"  
"I said I didn't want to talk about her." The 4P Chibiusa  
turned her head away snootily.  
  
"I only asked if she was alright."  
Chibiusa looked aside at him. "Oh, she'll be fine, I'm quite  
aure she'll be able to look after herself. Its everyone else I'm  
worried about." Chibiusa gritted her teeth. Couldn't tell Mamo-  
chan that they'd smashed Usagi like a bug, only for her to come back  
in an extreme state of pissedness.  
  
"What? What is happening to the others?"  
"Well, there was this thing that looked like you. We all   
thought it was you, but it turned out to be some lump of pinkish-red  
goo, and it was mad when Captain Kikotsuka blew it to bits."  
"Who is Captain Kikotsuka?"  
"She's the woman who headed up the investigation into.... Uh,  
anyway... She isn't what she seems to be. Or at least, that was  
the impression I got in the short space of time I had before I was  
snatched away and stuck in this body."  
"What powers does this Kikotsuka person have?"  
"Umm, dunno. I didn't really follow what she was saying. She  
went off in all sorts of strange directions when she spoke."   
Chibiusa paused. "Oh yeah, and Ami's melted into the pool at her   
house."  
  
"She did WHAT?"  
"I dunno what happened there. We'd only just arrived and her  
mother was screaming into the pool, as if Ami was drowning. But Ami  
wasn't in there, and the Captain said she'd melded with her element.  
I guess she means that, because Ami's powers are water-based...."  
"She'd melded with that element." Mamoru closed his eyes for  
a few moments. What in hell had happened to his world since he was  
so rudely snatched from its grasp, so long ago.  
  
"By the way, Mamoru, you look kinda older, or something...."  
  
He blinked at her. "Hmm, that's because I've been here for  
a good five years."  
"Five years???"  
"Yes, ever since that incident with Galaxia."  
"But... That was only nine months ago.... In the history  
of Old Tokyo, that is. I wasn't there, remember?"  
  
"Nine months?" Mamoru's jaw had dropped. "But... I've been  
keeping a count of the days here. And I can tell you, it has been  
five years since I've arrived. Of that I'm certain." Mamoru began  
rifling through the papers he had shoved aside to make room for the  
food on top of his office desk. Slowly, he prised out a notebook,  
and opened it up for Chibiusa to see.  
  
"Here, I've marked off every day I've spent in this place.   
Each stroke represents a day, and each page a year." He turned the  
pages, flipping through five and onto a sixth, of which there were  
already about fifty strokes. Chibiusa shook her head.  
  
"I'm not lying. I returned to 20th century Tokyo about six  
months ago. At least, I was taken six months after I returned."  
"Why did you come back? I was gone by that stage."  
"You were?"  
He nodded. "I can't remember you returning."  
"But you were there all that time. Surely you couldn't have  
been that thing...? That lump of whatever it was...."  
  
"You still haven't answered my question. Why did you come   
back? I thought, when you returned to Crystal Tokyo, you were  
returning for good."  
"So did I, but then something came up and Puu brought me back.  
I can't remember why.... All my memories of the new Kingdom seem  
somehow warped... Out of control...."  
  
"ALRIGHT, I'M HERE. NOW BRING OUT HOTA... SATURN, AND FACE  
ME LIKE A MAN! I MEAN WOMAN! I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I MEAN,  
WILL YOU JUST FACE ME, FOR KAMI'S SAKE?"  
  
Mamoru and Chibiusa looked out through the windows of the  
office at the workfloor below. There was a commotion amongst the  
workers. The chief Usagi exec threw the office door open.  
"Sir, there is a sailorsenshi on the shopfloor, disrupting  
production." The exec looked at Chibiusa and snarled. How could  
Mamoru be treating the Almighty Evil One with such affection when  
he had HER?  
  
"A sailorsenshi? Who? Who is it?" Mamoru stood and barged  
past the chief exec, leaning over the stairway railing. In the  
middle of the shopfloor stood Venus and a pair of cats. She didn't  
look very pleased.  
  
----o  
  
"You MUST.... Ring the Bells. The Bells of Erebus. The   
sound of the eternal silence."  
"Why?" Hotaru had now turned on her side, trying somehow  
to avoid hearing the voice. It didn't help.  
"Because if you don't, destruction shall rain upon you and  
your friends."  
"My friends?" Hotaru raised her head.  
"They will be threatened by a power greater than they can  
handle. This power lives to destroy... It knows no other way."  
"Who are you?"  
"We have no name."  
"We? What do you mean by that?"  
"We are a collective race. We are many and one in one body.  
Yet the body is threatened. We need a protector. We need the power  
of Saturn."  
"No." Hotaru whispered weakly. "You don't want my power."  
  
----o  
  
"Mina-chan!" Mamoru shouted. Minako looked in his direction.  
"Mamoru? Is that really you?"  
"Mina-chan!" Mamoru dashed down the stairs, through the  
crowds of Usagis who had gathered around in stunned disbelief that  
they were being visited upon by a REAL legendary senshi. Mamoru  
grabbed Minako and hugged her, much to her surprise and   
embarassment. "Oh Mina-chan, you don't know how much I've missed  
seeing your face." He stepped back, holding her by the shoulders.  
"All these Usagis.... Finally, I see a bit of variety."  
"Uh.... Its nice to see you, too, Mamoru-kun." Minako looked  
dumbfounded at Mamoru's joy. Her Usagi companion, who had survived  
being her first customer at the Usagi Extermination Office, sided up  
to her.  
"See, I told you he was the real Mamo-chan."  
"He looks kinda older..."  
Mamoru giggled, putting a hand behind his head. "Ah, gomen,  
I'm afraid that'd be a little difficult to explain. I had enough  
trouble with Chibiusa."  
  
"CHIBIUSA....." From all around, Usagis spat the name like it  
was poison to their tongues. Mamoru and Minako looked nervously at  
the steaming, wild-eyed figures.  
"I take it she's not popular around here, then?" Minako bit  
her lip.  
"Chibiusa is the spawn of the devil." Said her Usagi   
companion. Minako rolled her eyes, shaking her head.  
"Where is she, anyway?"  
"Right here." Minako looked past Mamoru at the 4P, who had   
made her way through the crowd.  
"Ano...." Minako mumbled. Mamoru sighed.  
"I'm afraid to say it'll take too long to explain. But this  
is, for all intents and purposes, Chibiusa."  
  
"CHIBIUSA...." Said the Usagis again. For a moment, Mamoru  
and Minako thought Chibiusa was going to be lynched. That idea  
ended when the room exploded with smoke. There were screams from  
all over the shopfloor, as figures leapt from the high windows of  
the factory.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" Mamoru dragged Minako, Chibiusa  
and Minako's Usagi companion away from the middle of the shopfloor  
as Usagis dashed past them, trying to find their way out of the   
mist. All four almost tripped over the cats, who had, until now,  
been silent.  
  
"Minako, its the Usagi Liberation Front." Luna barked, rather  
unnecessarily. "There are a dozen of them, coming in through the  
windows."  
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"  
"Because you were too busy being involved in an incipient love  
scene to be bored with my wonderful observations."  
"They might have added a certain something to the ambience,  
you know?"  
"The Usagi Liberation Front?" Mamoru dragged the girls up the  
stairs, towards his office, where the chief exec was waiting for   
him. "I've heard of them. I never really thought they existed. It  
sounds so silly. What have they got to be liberated from?"  
"Their Usaginess." Said Minako's companion. As they reached  
the top of the stairs, Mamoru, Chibiusa and Minako looked back at   
her.  
"What do you mean by that?" Mamoru frowned as he bundled  
Chibiusa into the office after the cats. The chief exec grabbed him  
by the arm, trying to pull him in after them.  
"Do you know what it is to live in a world where everyone is  
exactly the same as you, where there is no individuality. We Usagis  
have to live this every day."  
  
Before they could question her any further, the figures of the  
ULF ninjas landed on the shopfloor. Seeing Mamoru and Minako on the  
stairwell landing, one tossed a grenade at its base. The resultant  
explosion caused the supports for the stairwell to collapse.   
Mamoru, Minako and the Usagi cried out as the landing fell to the  
ground. They hit the floor with painfully audible thumps.  
  
"Now, Sailor Venus, we have the venue for our showdown. Let  
the fight commence." From the middle of the group, stepping out of  
the mist, came the leader of the ULF, carrying Hotaru in her arms.  
Minako looked up and was horrified to see blood dripping freely from  
Hotaru's mouth. Minako quickly got to her feet as the Usagi   
companion dragged Mamoru back against the rear wall.  
  
"Hotaru!" Minako shouted. "What have you done to her?"  
"Oh, we just entertained ourselves for a little while. Some  
minor oral surgery, nothing important."  
  
Minako stared at Hotaru, whose eyes were half-open, in a daze.  
She shook her head. "What kind of sick, depraved bitches are you,  
anyway?" She spat venomously. "She's never done anything to you!"  
  
"She is SATURN! She deserves to suffer."  
"So you say, you depraved freak."  
  
Before Minako could do anything, the ULF leader dropped Hotaru  
to the floor. She hit the concrete with a sickening thud, and just  
lay there.  
  
"Oh, so I'm the depraved freak, am I? That's nothing compared  
to what you are." The ULF leader pulled her sleeve away and pinched  
her skin. "You see this? This is pure Usagi flesh. We are   
superior to you differents. This city, this world, will belong to  
us. We were born to emulate the powers of Tsukino Usagi, and so we  
shall."  
"You are nothing more than failiures." Minako sneered. "I  
heard it today, only ONE of you has been able to master a simple,  
base level spell. I have full mastery of ALL the spells at my  
command. What are you going to do, eh?"  
  
The ULF leader smiled behind her veil. With a casual gesture  
of her hand, eight ninjas ran past her and sliced at Minako with  
katanas. Minako thanked the speed of her senshi form that she   
wasn't shredded in an instant. The attacks were repetetive, from  
almost every angle, all at once. No sooner had one lashed out than  
there was another in her face. Fortunately, with all their   
attentions on Minako, her Usagi companion had been able to help  
Mamoru away from the scene, disappearing behind some of the   
conveyor belts where other Usagis were hiding. She sat him there  
and held him in her arms.  
  
"Mamo-chan... Are you alright? Speak to me, Mamo-chan..."  
"U...Usako..." He looked up at her and touched her face.   
There was a moment's silence, and the pair of them looked at the  
Usagis who surrounded them, all with dark, jealous expressions on  
their faces. The Usagi who held Mamoru made a quick decision on  
the spot, pushing Mamoru away, allowing him to drop to the floor   
rather painfully.  
"Iyaa.. Mamo-chan... You're so aggressive." She put her  
hands to her face and affected a blush. Mamoru watched stars fly  
over his head.  
"Who's the aggressive one, I ask you?" He muttered.  
  
Suddenly there was a cry of pain, and a sickening tearing  
sound as one of the ninja's katanas ripped home its message in  
Minako's shoulder. The Usagi peered over the production line  
conveyor as Minako staggered back against the wall, clutching  
her shoulder. The blood spurted out freely.  
  
"What's happened?" Mamoru sat up.  
"One of the ninjas got Minako-san. They've severed an artery  
in her shoulder."  
"I've got to do something..." Mamoru was about to stand, but  
was held down by several Usagis.  
"Don't Mamo-chan.... You're no match for them."  
"Yeah, they're psychos. They'll kill you in no time flat."  
"Let me go! I'm still Tuxedo Kamen. I can't allow them to  
hurt Mina-chan." He managed to lift himself up beside the Usagi  
peering over the conveyor. He looked on helplessly as the eight  
ninjas converged on Minako, who had slid down the wall slightly. If   
she doesn't get that attended to pretty quickly, Mamoru thought, the   
blood loss could be fatal.... In a world where the only person with   
her blood type was herself.  
  
The ULF leader strode forward, shaking her head. Her  
subordinates stepped aside as she chuckled.  
  
"Is that the best you can achieve?"  
"I'm not finished yet." Minako said weakly. She lifted a  
hand into the air. "Crescent beam SCATTER."  
  
In a matter of seconds, ninjas were jumping in every direction  
as crescent-shaped energy bolts fired from her hand. Mamoru and the   
Usagi ducked as they ricocheted viciously off the conveyor belt.   
There were screams from all over the factory as Usagis ducked behind   
machinery to get away from the assault.  
  
Within seconds, however, the bolts began to falter, and   
Minako's hand fell. Slowly, she slid down the wall, clutching her  
shoulder. "Oh Kami-sama, can't pass out... Can't pass out now..."  
  
The ULF leader popped her head from over the top of one of the  
factory generators. She snapped her fingers, and her subordinates  
appeared, unharmed, from behind various pieces of shelter. Slowly,  
she climbed on top of the generator and looked down at Minako.  
  
"Bwahahahahaha! You call that little light show your BEST?   
You insult me." She pointed at Minako. "Finish her."  
  
"Not so fast, Aosagi!" The ULF leader turned to the voice at  
the mention of her name. Everyone followed her example. Standing  
in one of the windows was a single figure. An Usagi with red hair,  
tied back in a ponytail, wearing a messy, red-brown ronin's kimono   
and sandals. At her side, she held onto the handle of her sword.  
  
Her most distinctive feature, however, was a cross-scar on her  
left cheek. For some reason, Minako had the strangest impression  
that she'd seen this before.  
  
"So, Hitokiri Battoumoon, you show yourself at last." Aosagi  
chuckled and tore her veil from her face.  
"It seems I have to keep impressing upon you, Aosagi, that I  
am no longer the Battoumoon. My name is Tsukino Usashin. I would  
prefer you to use it."  
"Whatever you say, Battoumoon. I am ready for you."  
  
"You shall never learn, Aosagi. This violence and murder  
shall not achieve the goals of liberating our kind from their  
humdrum existence."  
"That wasn't your attitude in the past. Remember the attack  
on the City Council? You seemed fairly willing to use your sword to   
kill back then."  
"Times have changed. I now defend the weak with a sword that  
cannot kill." Usashin pointed at Minako. "The one known as Venus  
has been defeated. There is no reason to kill her, she can no   
longer harm you."  
"So? Her very existence is a thorn in the side of our kind."  
She gestured to Minako. "Look at her. The famous Venus, defeated  
by we mere 'failiures'. Wake up, Battoumoon, your dreams of a  
peaceful solution to our problems are just that, dreams."  
"And like the fool you are, you tortured Saturn."  
"And how good it felt, too. After all that time, all that  
fear, I was finally able to work through the tensions. You should  
have heard her cries, Battoumoon... The pain, the fear... It was  
outrageous."  
"We trained together, Aosagi... What could have perverted  
you this way?"  
"Perverted? I merely exercise my strengths. My skills."  
"Our skills were always designed to kill, Aosagi. All  
fighting techniques have that ultimate goal in mind. But I prefer   
the doctrine of love and justice that the one true Usagi had always   
stood for over that truth."  
  
The Usagis in the factory began to applaud as Mamoru, Chibiusa  
and Minako facefaulted. Aosagi gritted her teeth, looking from side  
to side as her subordinates clapped.  
  
"STOP THAT!" Everyone shutup. "Your words are meaningless to  
me, Battoumoon. We must fight, we must destroy, so that we may  
triumph over those who oppress us."  
"Sometimes the oppressors are the most oppressed of all,   
Aosagi. Can you not see that? And besides, we don't have the time  
for games like this."  
"ENOUGH!" Aosagi snarled and pointed at Minako. "Kill her.  
Kill her NOW!"  
  
"Wait!" Usashin drew her sword. "I shall not allow your  
women to get within ten feet of her." Usashin's eyes changed from  
the normal, clear expression one expected from an Usagi, to a much   
more threatening and hardened one. Aosagi smiled.  
"Now THAT's more like the Battoumoon I remember." She smiled,  
but the expression was not reciprocated. Usashin stared hard at  
Aosagi, the gaze piecing deeply into her soul. For a few moments,  
there was silence as the two stared each other out. A Mexican  
standoff, thought Minako. Not that she thought ONE Usagi could do  
much to a dozen.  
  
Aosagi clicked her fingers, and her subordinates raced towards  
Minako, katanas out and ready to tear. In the blink of an eye,  
Usashin had disappeared from the window. Half of the subordinates  
clutched at their sides, their chests, their stomaches, and fell  
to the ground unconcious from the impact of Usashin's sakabatou.  
  
Usashin skidded to a halt in front of Minako, holding the  
sword out in a threatening stance, her expression unchanged from the  
moment she'd leapt from the window. The remaining ninjas baulked at   
taking her on. Aosagi fumed.  
  
"Enough of this, Aosagi. I wish to hurt no more of our   
people. But I shall if you persist in this insanity."  
  
Aosagi quivered, slowly raising her arm, pointing at Usashin.  
For a few uncomfortable moments, she seemed to be coming to a   
decision. That was when the windows, those that were still closed   
exploded with the first blast. Screams could be heard from outside   
the factory.  
  
"Shimatta!" Usashin stood up, sheathing her sword. Everyone  
had turned to the entrance where dozens of Usagis were quickly  
making their way into the shopfloor in fear.  
  
"What? What is it? What's happening?" Aosagi stared from  
side to side as the Usagis ran past her.  
"It is the Destroyers, Aosagi. They have chosen, en masse,  
to attack the Factory and the surrounding districts. It seems  
something is about to happen here that will threaten their   
existences... Perhaps all of our existences...." Usashin turned  
and helped lift Minako to her feet. Aosagi turned to her   
subordinates and the assembled crowd.  
"Alright! Everyone OUT of the Factory NOW. Out through the  
back serviceways. Run for your LIVES!" Aosagi jumped from the  
generator as Usagis followed her order. If there was one thing  
Minako found impressive about Aosagi, it was the strength of her  
voice. Mamoru and the Usagi companion he'd called Usako ran up  
to Minako and Usashin as Usashin tore off part of her sleeve,  
wrapping it around Minako's shoulder.  
  
"Thankyou for intervening like that." Mamoru gasped. "How  
did you know the Destroyers were coming?" There was another blast,  
the shockwave of which could be felt even within the factory.  
"I saw them, on the horizon. Something is about to happen  
here of great import, Mamoru-dono." She turned as Aosagi ordered  
her standing subordinates to carry the fallen from the factory, then  
down at Hotaru, who was mumbling to herself, a strange, smiling  
expression on her face.  
  
"I think she may have something to do with it." Usashin   
frowned ominously.  
  
----o  
  
Hotaru was now sitting in the chair, looking up at the sky  
that had appeared from nowhere. "I've seen these things before,  
somewhere...."  
"The are the Destroyers. They live to kill."  
"How can they?" Hotaru turned and looked to her left. There  
stood Mamoru, Minako and several people who all bore an amazing  
resemblance to Usagi. Of course, Hotaru thought, this city is full  
of Usagis. "They look frightened."  
"And so they should be. The Destroyers have the power to  
obliterate them with a single blast of energy. We could find but   
one who had the power to take them on."  
"Me?"  
"In the name of your friends, accept the darkness within.   
Become Saturn... The true Saturn... Kill that which threatens the  
lives of your friends."  
"Kill...." Hotaru quivered, suddenly frightened. "I have to  
kill them?"  
"You WANT to kill them."  
"I want to kill them."  
"You live to destroy."  
"I live to destroy."  
"Kill them all."  
"I will. I will kill them all...."  
  
----o  
  
They watched as Hotaru got to her feet, her limbs jerking  
like a puppet's. Aosagi joined them, stepping back from the dark  
haired girl as she looked up through the windows. They followed  
her gaze and, to their horror, saw one of the Destroyers flying  
overhead, its vast, mottled black mass cutting out all light.  
"What the hell is THAT?" Minako croaked.  
"That is a Destroyer. And it very much means to kill us."  
Usashin said without taking her gaze from the floating behemoth.  
  
"MAMO-CHAN!" A figure landed on top of Mamoru from the  
doorway of his office. "What is that scary thing, Mamo-chan?"  
"Chibiusa, will you get offa me?" Chibiusa stood and  
helped Mamoru to his feet as the chief exec was guided by the  
cats in her efforts to crawl down from the doorway on the remaining  
stairway framework.  
  
"We better get out of here, quickly." Mamoru took Chibiusa  
and Usako by the arms and gestured with his head to Minako, Usashin   
and Aosagi. Just then, there was a bright flash of light from the   
shopfloor. They turned to see Hotaru transforming.... The large   
staffed blade of the Silence Glaive appearing in her hand. But   
instead of changing into Sailor Saturn, her clothes transformed into   
a black dress uniform.  
  
They watched as she lifted the glaive into the air, looking   
like some horrendous fury, her face still covered in blood. She  
whispered a command...  
  
"Darkness Axiom." The glaive began to ring, increasing in  
pitch and volume like a jet engine building up revs. The sound was  
everywhere, all at once. The group began to move away, covering  
their ears as the glaive vibrated with energy.  
  
The roof over the factory shattered like matchsticks, and  
they could see the Destroyer above them. It too was quivering with  
the noise. Slowly, Saturn lifted the glaive back, and sliced at  
the Destroyer in a cutting motion. A beam of intense energy shot  
from the double-blade, slicing the Destroyer in half.  
  
The two halves crushed the walls at either end of the factory  
when they came crashing to the ground. Dozens of Usagis were   
killed, their bodies flattened underneath. Black blood from the  
Destroyer sprayed across the factory floor like a fine mist, getting  
in eyes, noses and throats, its noxious nature causing the fleeing  
hoardes to splutter and cough, their eyes filling with tears.  
  
Just as Mamoru got to the rear exit, he turned back to see  
Hotaru smiling. Not a nice smile, either... More one of pleasure.  
Hotaru slowly rose from the floor, levitating.... Since when was  
she able to do that? He thought to himself.  
  
Other Destroyers approached, from every direction, all aiming  
for the floating dark figure. But if Hotaru/Saturn felt any fear of  
their presence, she didn't show it.  
  
Then she shouted something that gave Mamoru, Minako, Chibiusa   
and the two cats cause to wet themselves.  
  
"DEATH REBORN REVOLUTION!!!"  
  
  
The world around them exploded in a vast pall of white.  
  
----o  
  
Naru wandered through the grounds of the Academy. It was   
amazing how easy what was, technically, her first day. Not that it  
was her first day. The memories of Tranquility certainly helped.  
  
Still, there hadn't been anything about magic in any of her  
classes, and that was the most disappointing aspect. Reliving the  
past, even if it was through nothing more than memories, had the  
capacity to give away information that may come in useful. There  
was no guarentee that, after all this was over, she would retain  
Tranquility's memories. But the things that she experienced would  
remain, and that included whatever it was she learnt during her  
classes and private tutorials.  
  
Naru began to wonder where the Academy actually was. Its  
actual location. Considering the vast nature of the Empire,  
whatever that may be, the Academy could have been on any of the  
vast number of worlds that it contained. But somehow, she doubted  
that it was anything that exotic. This felt like the Earth. A  
much cleaner world, devoid of the smells of industry and pollution  
she had grown accustomed to back in her time.  
  
  
She hadn't seen Naiad since she had left the Dining Hall. Nor  
had she seen Ami. That momentary, haunting vision of the girl had  
remained with her throughout her classes.  
  
The young white-haired student, Astute, had offered to take  
her to the infirmary after the affair, but Naru politely refused.  
Although she wanted to. Astute had to have been one of the most  
gorgeous looking guys she had ever seen. Of course, he didn't   
exist. None of them did. A pity that. She'd imagined quite a few  
things one could get up to with a man like that.  
  
She giggled at her own stupidity, then went quiet. That was  
the power of the mind, and the ability to become lost within it.  
Even though these were only fantasies, she was already feeling well  
at home within them. That was because she liked them more than  
her "real" existence. The obsession that Naiad carried with her,  
to live entirely within the mind, devoid of the need of a physical  
existence, suddenly became an attractive option. Why, she could  
just stay here, her conciousness floating forever in the avatar of  
water, living out whatever life she chose for herself....  
  
She snapped to, something like a spike of memory shooting   
through her mind. You fool, the memory spoke to her, that's the   
trap of the mind. To live forever within fantasy is to bring on an  
eternal death.  
  
Naru bit her lip and closed her eyes for a moment as the world  
swam around her. Focus my thoughts, she chimed like a mantra   
through her mind. She opened her eyes again and found herself  
standing at the door to the library. She looked back at the steps  
that lead there and wondered when she walked up them. Slowly, she  
opened the elaborate copper and crystal door and stepped inside.  
  
  
The library was silent. Its monitors were shut away in their  
offices, or had gone home. She wondered about the security of such  
an institution, and reminded herself that it wasn't likely that  
someone was going to walk in here and steal the books and other  
items it contained, let alone raise the joint.  
  
Naru walked through the entranceway and entered the historical  
studies room. Well, she thought, even though I know a lot of this  
stuff through Tranquility's memories, I might as well look up some  
of it myself.  
  
The room was lined with a vast array of bookshelves,  
surrounding huge wooden desks and tables at which students for   
thousands of years had studied. The immense sense of time hit her  
like a truck. This room... This library... This immense font of  
knowledge, experience and comment, was long dead. Everything that  
had gone into creating this place was destroyed ten-thousand years  
ago. And in the course of the Kingdom's history, that was but a  
drop in the ocean.  
  
An ocean of time, that washed into the ocean of the mind. And  
back again. Naru began to understand the synergy that existed   
between Setsuna and her sister. The two were blessed, or perhaps  
cursed, with knowledge no living mind had the right to endure. In  
the case of Setsuna, it literally had been a case of living,   
throughout much of recorded human history. In Naiad's case, it had  
been through an apparent refusal for reincarnation.  
  
Slowly, Naru stepped over to one of the desks, breathing in  
the tantalising smell of old books. The hardbound works of art  
that the Kingdom had prided itself in their production...  
  
She placed her study books, notes and pencils onto the table  
and looked around, not knowing where to start. Perhaps the origins  
of the Kingdom itself. Tranquility seemed a little sketchy on those  
details. But where would she start to find that kind of   
information? She stared around her at the towering bookcases, the  
dust that floated in the air, illuminated by light that shone  
through the windows at the top of the external walls. The very  
ambience of the scene seemed to fill her with an incredible sense of  
peace.  
  
"Do you come in here often, Tranquility?" She spun, slightly  
shocked at the voice. She hadn't heard anyone approaching.  
  
Setsuna stood there, smiling pleasantly. No, Naru reminded  
herself, this was Hecate, the previous life of Setsuna.  
"Umm... On occasions." She replied, not sure what to   
actually say to her. After all, whilst she knew Setsuna (well, knew  
enough of Setsuna to get by) Tranquility herself had very little to  
do with Naiad's sister.  
  
"Hmm. I visit here quite often. There's never many people in  
this room, so I'm free to study in relative peace."  
  
"Its quite an attractive room, too. It has nice smells to   
it." Naru turned and looked up at the windows as Hecate stepped up  
beside her.  
"You know, I've never really thought of it that way. Now that  
you mention it, it does have a distinctive atmosphere." Hacate  
turned to her. "The smells of time. An aroma brought about by   
forms of decay, and entropy. The more we strive to preserve, the  
less we save. Its a sad fact we deny in our ephemeral states of  
being."  
"And yet, we shall be born again, one day. As if new, devoid  
of our past memories, we must experience it all once more."  
  
Hecate smiled, chuckling to herself. "Some of us are blessed   
with the capacity to remember those lives." Naru turned to her.  
"You're kidding me?"  
"No. I have a very distinct memory of my fourteen previous  
lives. Those that were important enough for me to remember, of  
course. Its the nature of the game, really. The mediocre   
existences we lead are scrubbed from our souls forever, yet those  
lives to which we have played a part of import...." She smiled.  
  
"I'm not blessed with those kinds of memories." Naru shook  
her head. "I'm trying to remember, though. I think this place  
contains some of them."  
"It would not surprise me if you had spent some time in a  
previous existence studying here, at the Academy. Of course, we  
both lose out to my sister when it comes to remembering past lives."  
  
"In what way?" Naru stared at Hecate as the young woman  
placed her books beside Naru's.  
"According to her, and I wouldn't place any capital on what  
she says.... Well, not all the time, anyway... She has lived well  
over one hundred lives."  
"Over one hundred?" Naru's jaw hit the ground.  
"Indeed. One hundred and thirty six, at last count. I   
suppose that is only natural, considering the strengths of certain  
aspects to her powers."  
  
"You can't confirm this?"  
"We've only been sisters in at least six of our lives. And  
even this is extremely unusual. It isn't often that two are so  
intertwined through resurrection. But if what she says is true,  
then it is possible that her soul, her spirit, goes back long before  
the birth of Galaxia."  
  
"Galaxia...." Naru had heard the name before. Something she  
hadn't been involved with, before she knew about the senshi and the  
Kingdom and all that. Although, perhaps, in her heart of hearts,  
she really did know what was going on. But some of the stories she  
had been told...   
  
The Dead Moon Circus one had to have been the silliest....   
Who would have believed that kind of stuff. And yet, she knew it to   
be true, in a way.   
  
And then there was the story of Galaxia, the greatest of all   
the senshi. Or maybe not. She had a feeling that Galaxia was more   
than merely a senshi. Although, it was obvious, from the memories   
she had gathered from Tranquility, that she had never met her in   
this life.  
  
Whatever the case may be, she had seemed to combine the   
immense dual powers of not only a senshi, but also a miko. She was   
warrior and priestess in one.  
  
"Well, anyway, I'm all a bit dazzled by this." Naru waved at  
the bookshelves. "I need to find something about the origins of our  
Kingdom. The historical persepctive, that is."  
  
Hecate nodded. "Virtually anything along the back row there  
can help you in your studies." She pointed to the far end of the  
room. Naru bowed slightly in thanks, which Hecate found somewhat  
amusing.  
"Thankyou. Umm..." Naru bit her lower lip. Hecate raised an  
eyebrow.  
"You wish to know where my sister is, do you not?"  
  
Naru was surprised by Hecate's apparent mindreading. Of   
course, considering Hecate was Setsuna, that wasn't really   
surprising. "Yes... I haven't seen her since lunch, and I'm   
beginning to wonder where she has got to. She said she was going to  
the library, but that was hours ago."  
  
"Ah, I'm sure she'll pop up, fairly soon." Hecate nodded.  
"Now if you will excuse me. I have some study to attend to."  
  
Naru smiled. "Thankyou for your assistance." Hecate nodded  
again and stepped away, wandering behind one of the rows of books.  
  
  
Naru sighed and made her way to the far end of the room,  
staring up at the tower that presented itself to her. Hecate had  
been right, most of these books, according to their titles, did  
cover the origins of the Kingdom, many written by the same authors.  
She wondered if there was such a thing, in this day and age, as the  
politically motivated recording of history. Something she had  
learnt about during her time at high school. History was almost  
always the product of the predominant view at the time of its  
archival. The prejudices and attitudes of the people had the  
capacity to sap historical record of its accuracy.  
  
She reached out and picked up a volume, marked "The Birth of  
the Moon Kingdom of Sol, the Historical Records of the Settlement  
and the Harnessing". Naru understood the Settlement and the   
Harnessing to be two of the major periods within the Kingdom's  
foundation, but she didn't quite understand what they meant.  
  
As soon as she opened the book, she realised she was in  
trouble. It was written in a language that was nothing short of  
indecipherable, even to the memories of Tranquility. This should  
not have come as any surprise.... The book, according to its date  
of publication, was thirty thousand years old. Whatever materials  
and inks that was used in its construction had to have been some of  
the hardiest in creation.  
  
She jumped as she heard thunder. A storm brewing? She looked  
up at the windows. The light that fell through them was paler than  
before, and she pondered the concept of experiencing a thunderstorm  
within the mind. What could cause such a thing to come to pass?  
Some violent flash of energy, disrupting the status of the elements  
that controlled the solar system?  
  
She felt herself shiver.... Something was happening...  
Something in the outside world, and it was BIG. She attempted to  
put her mind back on the task of studying the book, and decided that  
the best method would be to look at the pictures. For someone like  
Naru, the thought of going back to the kind of juvenile gee whiz of  
picture reading was somewhat embarassing, but with text that looked  
more like astrological symbols than proper written speech, she   
didn't have much of a choice.  
  
Had she found Ami, she was sure this would be much easier. If   
anyone had had the capacity to fast track the learning process, it  
was her. She felt an tingling sensation on the back of her neck,  
and she turned to her left. Ami stood there.  
  
More like a spectral figure, covered in a gossamyr white   
dress. With the setting, the paleness of the light and Ami's  
appearance, Naru got the distinct impression of a haunting taking  
place.  
  
"Ami..." She croaked.  
  
There was silence. An intense, unbearable silence. Naru felt  
every fibre of her inner self being probed. Strange fancies entered  
her mind, and for a few moments, she wondered if the world had come  
to a dead stop. Only the occasional rumble of thunder, and the  
sound of rain against the windows, broke this impression. What are  
you trying to do to me, Ami? I thought we were friends. I want to  
remove you from this place. I want you to survive.  
  
The figure turned, and stepped through an open doorway at the  
end of the bookcase. Naru dropped the book on top of the shelf and  
followed her. You're not getting away from me this time, she   
thought to herself.  
  
She turned and stepped through the doorway, to find herself in  
a large hall, with a wooden staircase that seemed to rise for an  
innumerable number of floors. Ami stood of the first flight of  
stairs, looking down at the doorway as if waiting for Naru to make  
her entrance. Then she turned, and looked out of the windows that  
sat above the first flight. The dim light that shone through those  
windows cast a pall of gloom into the hall that was so thick, Naru  
could almost feel it... Taste it... It was like water, but more  
than that. The water smelt, and tasted, like blood. Her blood.  
Ami's blood. Aoi's blood.  
  
After all, isn't that what they were now? A pool of water,  
with the collective conciousness of three. And all were playing  
games with each other.  
  
A game, thought Naru.... A triumvirate of minds, trying to  
outfantasize each other.... Ami moved on, up the stairs. Naru  
knew that, by following her, she would be playing the mindgame the  
most intelligent of the senshi was controlling. But she couldn't  
help herself. She wanted to know where all this was leading to.  
  
She had been right. The stairs almost did seem to go on  
forever. Twelve storeys, in fact. There were fourteen in the  
library. It was the biggest and oldest of all the Academy's  
buildings.  
  
On several occasions, she thought she'd lost Ami. But always,  
every single time, the girl would be waiting for her, staring down  
at her in a totally dispassionate expression. As if Ami didn't  
recognise her, or didn't care.  
  
On the twelfth floor, though, she did disappear. Through a  
closed wooden door. Just like a ghost, Naru thought. Naru had  
managed to reach the twelfth floor, puffing and panting from all the  
stairs, her attention entirely focused in finding Ami on the next  
flight. But Ami wasn't there. Then she saw Ami standing by the  
door.  
  
And through she stepped. Shadows of shadows, passing.  
  
Naru sat against the banister, rubbing her face with her   
hands. The storm washed against the windows heavily, and the   
sunlight was disappearing. She stared out between her fingers at  
the dark brown wooden door.  
  
She stood, almost mechanically. She stepped forward, reaching  
for the door handle. She felt a strange sense of deja vu. This  
really did happen. She really did see a ghost. Or at least,  
Tranquility really did. She took the handle in her hand and turned  
it. Yes, a ghost. Even if it wasn't Ami. Even if Ami was only  
taking its place. It was a spirit of destiny, and it pointed to a  
revelation.  
  
She pushed the door open. Inside was dark. Well, darkened  
anyway. It was a small room that obviously lead off to others. It  
was certainly the only door that lead off from the stairwell. It  
HAD to lead to something. Naru stepped inside and closed the door  
behind her. It had opened and closed without any sound. She was  
grateful for that, because it meant that, whomever was making the  
sounds she was hearing now, they most certainly wouldn't know of  
her presence.  
  
The voices of a man and a woman. Well, they were young   
voices, so they were likely to be students. And they weren't saying  
much, just a lot of giggling and panting. Naru relaxed and shook  
her head. Why would Ami guide her here? Honestly, some people just  
didn't have any sense of decorum. Of course, considering the only  
man she had ever had in her life (well, her current life anyway) was  
Umino Gurio, she didn't have much to complain about. She almost  
laughed when she thought about it. Everyone had asked her why she  
liked such an apparently pathetic figure. She could tell them,  
there were a few things about Guri-chan that stood him in good   
stead.  
  
Of course, events had taken place that had removed her from   
him. She hoped that he was safe. The atmosphere, the scent of  
blood, that had pervaded everything since she entered the stair  
hallway, made her jittery. She hated blood, its smell, its viscous  
red appearance. As a child, whenever she had cut herself   
accidentally, she had been known to pass out, or go into a state of  
catatonia. She didn't know why the mere sight of blood had this  
effect on her. A stress-induced neurosis, based on events in a  
previous life? She shook her head. It was bad enough for   
psychoanalysts that they have to deal with the problems gathered in  
one life time. Add several to that and they might as well hang up  
their couches and travel to the south seas.  
  
She took off her shoes, placing them gently on the carpet by  
the door, then crept forward. The room ended with a window, covered  
in a black curtain. On both sides of the window were open doorways.  
It was to the left that the noises were coming from. Naru felt a  
strange, voyeuristic thrill as she crept through the doorway,   
peering in to make sure she wasn't about to stumble in on the   
couple.  
  
The room was much like the first, only it didn't have an door  
at the far end. It was also filled with books and folders. A kind  
of records office... But how old, she wondered? Considering the  
age of the book she picked up in the history room below, one that  
was on general display, it was quite possible that she, and the two  
lovebirds, were the first people to step through this place in the  
last century or so. There was certainly enough dust lying around.  
  
She continued on, stepping through yet another open doorway,  
which lead to a small, warmly decorated passageway. Along the  
passageway were several other doors. Naru was getting sick of doors  
in this place. If it wasn't doors, it was little rooms and   
anterooms and corridors and all sorts.  
  
The third door on the left was where the noise was coming   
from. No point beating round the bush, she thought. Jeez, of all  
the metaphors she could come up with.... She chuckled quietly,  
holding a hand to her mouth.  
  
The door was partly open, so she peered through the gap. And  
she let out a silent gasp. They were WELL into it. And the man   
was, of all people, Astute. Well, that ended a few dreams she'd  
had over the last couple of hours.  
  
Then she peered at the girl.... And found herself backing  
away from the door, shaking her head. She hit the opposite wall  
with an audible thump, and the noises within ceased. She panicked  
and made a dash for it.  
  
"Who's there?" Astute's voice floated from the room. By the  
time Naru had heard it, she'd scooped up her shoes and was out the  
main door, heading for the stairway.  
  
Astute threw the door to the room open, wearing only an   
unbuttoned shirt and underwear.  
  
"Is there anyone there?" Came the voice of his partner. He  
turned back to her.  
"If there was, then they're long gone."  
The girl swore something in an ancient tongue and stood from  
the couch on which they had been making out. "This'll be bad if  
they let on about us."  
"What are they going to say? Nobody will believe that I'm  
the lover of Naiad Keth Drutein."  
  
Naiad sniffed, putting her arms around Astute's neck, smiling.  
"Well then, lover. Shall we pick up where we left off?"  
  
  
Several floors below, Naru finally stopped running, and   
started at catching her breath. For a few moments, she wondered   
what it was that shocked her so much. So Naiad had been Astute's  
lover during their days at the Academy? So what? But then, she  
wondered why Naiad had gone to such an effort to dismiss the  
attention Astute was getting, earlier in the dining hall. What  
was it she had said? Astute was JUST a MAN?  
  
But that wasn't it. It wasn't the deception, or the fact  
that Naiad was having a relationship with the best looking guy in  
the Academy... It was a deeper jealousy she felt. One of being  
betrayed.  
  
And the implications of that frightened her.  
  
  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
and again  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
  
END OF PART 11  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Notes  
  
And now we start on the business end of the story. From here on,  
all the plotlines will begin to weave back together again.  
  
I had a couple of mails telling me that the scene with the drunk  
Hotaru, arguing with her father over Usako and the Youma was  
rather disturbing to them.  
  
I will have to say here that there has been a segment of this  
story I have cut out.... A segment that followed the Youma Usagi's  
arrival in the future, where she killed the UN soldiers, and the  
first scene at Tomoe Souichi's fortress building. This scene  
involved the Youma saving Hotaru from a horrible fate.  
  
Its just that the events were SO horrible that even I thought twice  
about including it. And ultimately I decided to cut it out. If you  
want to know what happened in more detail, email me about it.   
You'll probably also be glad I cut it out.  
  
Suffice to say, the future Hotaru's behaviour is a combination of  
post-traumatic stress and chronic, almost psychotic, depression. It  
amazes me how anime characters can go through what they do (and   
Hotaru goes through a hell of a lot) without there being any   
psychological reaction. Of course, in a weekly tv show, with the  
necessary evils of standard format and repeated animation, there  
often isn't time given to the deeper levels of characterisation.  
And when there is, everyone says its the product of the director  
losing his or her Prozac (re Anno Hideaki and Evangelion).  
  
So if some of the characters here are beginning to get a tad OOC,  
just consider it an indulgence on the part of the writer. I may  
even get round to resolving some of the canonical mistakes I've  
made. You know the ones, like "duh, the Asteroid Senshi don't  
exist in the anime" or "wasn't Mamoru supposed to be studying in  
the States" or even "why wasn't Chibiusa ever renamed Chibinaru"?  
  
And just what did happen to Umino Gurio? Aha, now THERE is an  
interesting proposition. Some of the revelations within the past  
world Naru, Naiad and Ami are experiencing may be rather surprising.  
^_^ (I know what I'm writing about.... Pity nobody else knows what  
I have in mind. In fact, many would have reached this point, still  
not quite sure what is going on. That's what you get when you meld  
together five different story ideas into one ^_^).  
  
Enough rambling from me. In chapter 12, Terminal Skydiving, Naru  
confronts Naiad about her relationship with Astute, and gets a  
surprising response. Madame Scorpia makes an offer to Usagi and the  
Animates that they just CAN'T refuse, and the barrier between the  
dimensions of our universe and that of the eternal city is ripped  
open.... In a VERY big way, thanks to someone with the initials  
TH, who carries a very big stick with a sharp, pointy end,   
necessitating the imminent arrival of someone with a lot of power  
and influence to sort out the mess.  
  
All comments, criticisms and general rants can be posted to  
darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
I'm a nice person in real life. I won't bite your head off if you  
mail me. ^_^ Honestly.  
  
DDFA 


	12. Part 12: Terminal Skydiving

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 12  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
IRC: Mappy on DALnet's #AJAS  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so  
these characters really belong to them, except ones I made up, in  
which case, if I see anyone using them, I'll murder ya! ^_^ (I'm  
joking.... Use them to your heart's content, if you can).  
Part Twelve  
Terminal Skydiving  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
and again  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
The messages across the atmosphere....  
The woman sat in the high-backed gilden chair, staring into   
the globe of universality. And what it had to say was not pleasing.  
But then, very little had been pleasing since her return.  
  
At that time, she had found life difficult to adjust to. The   
process of rebuilding an empire was frought with problems, not the   
least was finding all the worlds to which its powers had extended.   
There had been so many.  
  
At least she knew where one was.... The world where she had  
recovered her true self.... A place known rather simply as Earth,  
in the system of Sol. At that time, the regeneration of this   
particular Kingdom was underway. And she had attempted to destroy   
it.... It was good that she had been stopped. The deaths, that   
would have ensued, would have been too much to endure even if she   
had no control of her own senses.  
And what a powerful, wild system it had been to open the   
Empire's resurrection. Its elemental energies only submitting to   
the will of the Kingdom that had settled there under extreme   
protest.   
  
Where else could senshi like those on Earth be found? She   
remembered the Avoscatan wars.... Bewteen this empire and another,  
based within a neighbouring dimension.... The part the Earth senshi   
and miko played in the defeat of those demons.... Perhaps the   
spiritual ancestors of those who existed today. It worried her  
that, when she left, there were no miko amongst their number, but   
she assumed it was only a matter of time.  
  
Now there were feelings of disorder from that system.   
Something had disrupted the process, disquieted the elemental   
powers. And she felt a cold shiver spread through her at the  
thought of what might happen. She should have been more vigilant,  
seen what was, potentially, to come.  
  
It was, of course, foolish to chide herself for things undone.  
  
She looked up at her attendant... An attractive young man  
wearing the dark leather garb of one of her senshi. He was standing  
some distance away, illuminated in the blue of the sun of the night.  
The giant diamond dome, that let in the light gave her the best   
possible views of the universe and the galaxies that it contained,   
had been built upon her return. She liked it... Had always liked   
it, that way. Just like the days before the collapse....  
  
"Sentinel..." She said softly to the attendant. He looked up  
at her, having been gazing across the fields that ran from the dome.  
She liked the way he looked.... Blond-green hair, green eyes, an  
immaculate appearance. He reminded her of her old love. One of the  
duties Scimitar had the pleasure of performing, lately.  
  
"Yes my Empress?"  
"We must leave the homeworld. A system has chosen to lose  
control of itself, and must be retamed."  
He bowed. "How soon, my Empress?"  
"Within the hour. Round up all the senshi and miko it is   
possible for you to find."  
"Do you expect trouble?"  
"I expect extreme trouble. Events are occuring on that world  
that must be quelled, lest they spread further."  
"Yes, my Empress." Sentinel disappeared from the dome quickly  
through an exit in the south face. She watched him go, rubbing her  
forehead.  
  
"Serenity..." Galaxia muttered. "What has happened to you?"  
----o  
"What did you hope to find?" Said the voice. Naru sat on the  
stairs of the Academy library, unable to move. "Did you find out  
something about Naiad, or yourself?" The voice paused. "Or perhaps  
the both of you? And how did you feel when you found this out? Was  
it shock? Horror? Surprise? Amusement? And if so, why do you  
think you reacted this way?"  
  
Naru felt tears coming to her eyes, and lifted herself from  
the stairs. She stared at her hand. "What are we? Why do we take  
this form? What is the nature of our conciousness? Does it have a  
form? Does it survive death intact, or does it fade away with the  
passing of the body's physical processes?"  
  
"Shutup!" Naru put her hands over her ears.  
  
"Who is watching whom? Did you fall into the pool by   
accident, or were you psychologically manipulated into reaching for  
her just as she fell in, through you subconcious mind?"  
  
"I can't believe she'd do that.... Not to me!" Those words  
were not Naru's, but Tranquility's. She began to race down the  
stairs, raw emotion filling her. She tripped and fell when she  
reached the third level, and landed, rather painfully, face down on  
the floor.  
  
"Pain.... It fills our every waking moment. It drives us to  
find a better life. There is no motivating force like it. There is  
no force to destroy like it. A double edged blade."  
  
Naru slowly lifted herself to her hands and knees, the world  
spinning. She looked upwards, trying to find the source of the   
voice. "Where is all this leading to?"  
"To death." The voice said, matter of factly. "Everything   
leads to the cessation of existence. Even the world upon which we  
live... lived... has numbered days, hard though a concept that may  
seem to be."  
  
"Stop being philosophical with me!"  
"Too late. You're at the mercy of the element of water. It  
shall flow through you, and wash the minds together, into a   
collective spirit. That is the destiny of all... To return to the  
cauldron.... We must return... Only there will we find the truth."  
  
"Leave me alone." Naru staggered to her feet and dashed down  
the final few levels....  
----o  
DCI Rikai stomped into the Juuban District Police Branch   
front office, looking like death warmed up. Behind him tagged three  
junior officers and a slightly dazed Dr Mizuno.  
  
"What's up? What happened?" DC Aburatsubo, who had been   
standing in the front office, talking to one of the female duty   
officers, about the strange events that had occured in the city that   
day, turned to Rikai. His senior shot him a vicious look.  
  
"We've just been transported halfway across town, kami knows  
how, from this good lady's residence, where said 'strange things'  
have been occurring. We returned there half an hour ago.... But  
nobody was home, so we decided to come back here." He huffed. "Had  
to leave a couple of uniforms there, guarding the place...."  
  
"Strange things? As in what?"  
"As in the kind of strange things that seem to be involving  
that Tsukino brat."  
"Oh her.... One of the uniforms managed to grab her not so  
long ago. She's being interviewed now. Her parents are in one of  
the offices, waiting."  
  
"Wh... WHAT?!?!?!?!" Aburatsubo cringed under Rikai's rage.  
"And just who the hell is interviewing her?"  
"Uhh... That Akunatsuka guy..."  
"AKUNATSUKA!" Rikai fumed. "I told him to stay out of this.  
I'll have him strung over the coals!" Rikai charged off, leaving   
Aburatsubo, Ami's mother, the three detectives and the front office   
staff relieved by his lack of presence. The female detective whom   
Ami's mother had latched onto in the preceding events, DI Kawai,   
turned to her.  
"I guess we should see the Tsukinos. They'll be glad for a  
familiar face.... And so shall you, I think."  
"I've only occasionally met with them." She replied. "It was  
always Ami-chan and Usagi-chan who would meet with one another...."  
Tears were forming in the corner of her eyes. "Is what he said   
correct? Is Usagi alive?"  
"It would appear so." Kawai responded, amazed to see what a  
weight that information took from her shoulders. "We'll keep   
looking for your daughter, Mizuno-sensei, don't you worry. We'll  
find her."  
Ami's mother nodded, saying nothing. In her mind, however,   
she knew what she had seen... Ami's body literally melting into the  
waters of their swimming pool. If what she had been told was   
correct, then that Aoi woman had done likewise in an effort to   
convince Ami's conciousness to reform, and return, to the real   
world.   
  
And yet, despite the obvious signs of damage done to the  
house, all was quiet. She could have almost imagined that the   
events had never taken place. Almost.  
  
"Woah...." One of the dispatch officers, a young woman in her  
early twenties, threw the door open to the dispatch office, staring  
out, her headset still partly hanging on to the sides of her head.   
"Hey guys, get this.... According to the people in the neighbouring   
district, they've found the bodies of up to 700! All dismembered   
and all. Around where that school went up...." She looked dazed   
for a moment. "I don't think I can take much more of this..." She   
promptly slid down the doorway, looking pale. Two of the officers   
from the front office partition ran to her and helped her to one of   
the seats at the back.  
  
"Dead?" Mizuno's ears picked up. "Were there any survivors?"  
Her voice seemed demanding, and Aburatsubo looked at her.  
"Yeah.... Most are pretty badly injured, though.... Mumbling  
about some monster rampaging through the city."  
  
There was a shudder throughout the building, and everyone   
looked at the swinging fluro lights that hung from the ceiling.  
  
"Dammit..." Aburatsubo spat. "What the hell is going on out  
there?"  
  
"What is being done with the survivors?" Mizuno was  
insistent.  
"They're being taken to all the local hospitals. There are so  
many that they're short staffed."  
"I'm a doctor.... I should be helping them."  
  
Aburatsubo, Kawai and the other two detectives stared at her.   
The building was shaken again, and the female dispatch officer   
started to let out small, strangulated sobs, holding her head with  
her hands. Mizuno pointed to her.  
  
"For a start, I'd remove her from duty. She's reached the   
limit her mind can take. Secondly, if hospitals are short-staffed,  
then it is a crime NOT to let me help." She shook her head. "The  
hospital I work at must be trying to contact me now. They'll be in  
fits about my absence...."  
  
There was silence, punctuated by rumblings from outside.   
As the nominal second-in-command of the CID office, Aburatsubo bit   
his lower lip, indecisively pondering the proposal. A further   
tremble made his decision for him.  
  
"I don't know what the hell is going on out there, but I'm   
sure the good doctor will be of more use fixing up people than   
sitting in this joint."  
  
Kawai nodded to Aburatsubo. "I'll take responsibility for   
her, don't worry." She took Mizuno by the arm. "Come on then.   
You'll have to show me the way to your hospital."  
  
Her mind now determined, Mizuno allowed Kawai to lead her back  
through the front doors.  
----o  
Naru ran back into the library, searching for Setsu....   
Hecate. She had to keep reminding herself. The senshi in training  
was sitting at the table where both she and Naru had left their   
books. Hecate looked up and smiled, then back down at her book.  
  
"Did you know?" Naru puffed.  
"Know what?" Hecate didn't look up from her book.  
"That I'd find her up there."  
"Yes."  
  
The bluntness of the response stunned Naru. For a few moments  
she was without voice, but it came back with a force.  
  
"Is that all you have to say? 'Yes'?" She shook   
uncontrollably. "Do you know what I walked into up there? Eh? Do  
you know what she was doing up there? Eh? Eh?"  
"Yes."  
Naru spluttered. "How? Why not tell me?"  
"Because there was no reason. It was better you found out now  
rather than later. Had this charade been carried on much further,  
the sense of betrayal in your.... friendship... would have been far  
greater. Did you want that?"  
  
Naru gritted her teeth and felt an annoying twitch in her left   
eye. She stormed forward and grabbed her books from the table,  
bundling her elbow into Hecate's side rather roughly. Hecate barely  
noticed.  
  
She ran from the library... Trying to leave the thoughts and  
events behind her. It didn't work.  
----o  
The man was quite attractive, despite the fact that what he  
was wearing looked a tad ridiculous. Well, out of date, anyway.   
Victorian era business suits weren't exactly the vogue. But then,   
thought Usagi, with the fashion tastes of my newfound travelling   
companions, who am I to criticise?  
  
He had introduced himself as Mistral LeFevre, which sounded  
suitably European. He even went to the extent of handing them his  
business card, maybe to prove his credentials. But a card meant  
nothing, and the way his name was spelt looked quite different to  
the way he'd pronounced it. He'd said something like Le Fev, when  
the name on the card bore a greater resemblance to Le Fever. Even  
though it was a silly pretext for Usagi to distrust someone, she   
did.  
  
Siren had let him in and he'd bowed graciously to her.   
Typical, thought Usagi.... Flatter the good looking ones first with  
suave charm. It made Nyanko jealous to see such an attractive man  
paying so much attention to her hated rival.... But Nyanko's   
appearance had to, surely, have been the most severe of all of them.  
She wasn't likely to engender the gentlemanly treatment.  
  
It was Siren's reaction that surprised her the most. Almost  
as soon as he'd stooped to kiss her on the hand after gently taking   
it, she went cold and snatched it away, turning from him. Crow was   
a little angry at her rude behavior.  
  
"Siren! You should learn to be more welcoming of our guests."  
She and Siren stared at each other, then Siren, looking hurt, turned   
away. Crow turned her attentions to Mistral. "I'm sorry about her   
rudeness, Mister LeFevre, please do come in and take a seat. You   
said you had some business to speak with us, from your employer,   
Lady Scorpia."  
  
"Ah yes, I do apologise for my undue familiarity." Mistral  
nodded and stepped over to one of the lounge chairs near the fire.  
Crow, Nyanko and Mouse sat opposite him, whilst Siren closed the  
door and turned away, leaning against a mantlepiece. For her own  
part, Usagi had chosen to distance herself somewhat from the  
discussions taking place, but listened intently all the same. She  
picked up a leaflet, a flyer, that was sitting in the middle of the  
table. It looked like a small information brochure one would find  
in an average hotel. But on this one there were images.... Faces  
of women, about seven in all. And something about a reward. She   
looked away as Mistral began to speak....  
  
"Lady Scorpia, earlier this afternoon, whilst taking lunch,  
happened to see your good selves travelling down the main street  
from her window in the Hotel Central...."  
"And took pity on us?" Mouse sniffed with some humour.  
"Aha..." Mistral smiled. "Not quite. You see, Lady Scorpia  
is the owner of that fine establishment. She has been for some   
seven years now."  
"WHAT?" All five stared at him is disbelief.  
  
"What would the owner of a hotel like THAT want with five  
young women like us?" Crow leaned forward, gesturing to Mistral.  
  
"I can guess." Siren muttered to herself.  
  
"My employer... requires young women... to act as hostesses  
for the functions she puts on. If you haven't noticed, there are  
very few young women in this town, and she is desperate to employ  
girls such as yourselves."  
"As what? Whores for her clients?" Siren sniffed   
contemptuously. "I've heard that kinda proposal before."  
"Let the man finish." Nyanko turned to Siren, annoyed at  
her continued coldness. Usagi eyed her for a moment. She wondered   
why Siren was so skittish, even though to her the proposal was   
tantamount to suspect.  
  
"Well, if you wish to confirm my story, why don't you see Lady  
Scorpia herself. She has invited you all to dine with her at   
tonight's function. A dinner held in the honor of the local   
governor.... All very above board..."  
"Yes, they usually are." Siren muttered. Mistral looked   
aside at her a moment.  
"I promise you, Miss...?"  
"Her name is Siren." Crow gestured to herself. "You can call  
me Crow. The girls sitting next to me are Mouse and Nyanko."  
"Well, I promise you, Miss Siren, that the offer is not a  
mischievous one."  
"So? I don't have to listen to it if I don't want to."  
  
Mistral stared at Siren, trying his best to suppress his   
emotions. He knew it would be difficult to convince these girls of  
Scorpia's offer, and that one of them would most likely be very   
offhand in her rejection. There was one in every group of young   
women his Lady employed. Not that he cared. For the most part,   
women were not his taste. They always ended up disappointing him.  
  
He used to think highly of Scorpia. But in the end, she   
proved to be just another woman, even if others within the   
organisation still regarded her with esteem. It was, however,   
more prudent not to upset her by voicing his opinions. He turned   
back to the others, nodding at Usagi.  
  
"And the young lady sitting at the table over there?" Mistral   
stared at her. She didn't like the way he did it either, although   
for reasons different to that which she had expected.  
"Her name is Usagi." Crow raised an eyebrow at Mistral's   
gaze. "You seen unduly interested in her. Is she the reason why  
your employer noticed us?"  
  
Mistral's reverie was broken. "Ah, I was just remarking on   
how very similar she is to the good Princess Serenity."  
"Yes, everyone says that."  
"Perhaps the Lady Scorpia thought that having someone of such  
noble presence would add a touch of class to her establishment. She  
is VERY concious of her reputation."  
  
"Yes, she would be." Siren muttered. Mistral chuckled.  
"Well, you don't have to give me your answer now. If you do not   
wish to attend, that is your decision. We shall have lost nothing   
but an opportunity." He stood. "My Lady awaits me. If you feel   
like joining her at dinner tonight, then be at the Tudor Room at   
approximately seven o'clock. Dress well. As I said, she is very   
concious of her reputation." He bowed. "I shall see myself out.   
Good day."   
  
And with that, he turned, opened the door and left. Siren   
peered out through the doorway, watching him go, then shut the door   
as Crow leant her chin in her hand, resting against the arm of the   
lounge suite, thinking.  
  
"You don't believe him when he says everything is 'above   
board', surely?" Siren held out her hands to her three long-time  
compatriots. "I mean, you can see the only reason he was interested  
was because of Usagi." She looked over at her.  
  
Usagi was surprised to see the concern on Siren's face. For   
all the hostile front the girl had put up when they first came into  
contact, her concern seemed to be genuine. Usagi wondered why.  
  
"Of course I don't believe him." Crow shook her head. "You  
don't think I'd fall for such obvious smooth talk, do you? I mean,  
hell, Siren.... I've been around...."  
  
"But if the offer did have a ring of the genuine about it..."   
Mouse leaned back in the lounge suite, corssing her arms behind her   
head. "We've done worse for money...."  
  
"But we don't NEED the money. You saw Usagi's pouch." Siren  
gestured to the pouch that Usagi had dragged out from under the bed,  
placing it on the centre of the table. "We are women of independant  
means, now."  
"But that's only because of Usagi's arrival. Kami knows where  
she got that pouch...." Nyanko stood and walked over to Usagi. "It  
just appeared, your backpack I mean, didn't it?"  
"Uh, yeah... I didn't have one, remember? You found me as  
is. And as soon as we came in here, whammo, I got this thing   
hanging over my shoulder, with this pouch stuffed inside."  
  
Nyanko turned to Siren. "Any moment now, that thing could  
just disappear the way it appeared. We have no guarentees that we  
shall be 'women of independant means' forever."  
"I'm willing to take the risk." Siren huffed and sat down on  
the bed, sulking. Crow stood and looked at all of them.  
"Well, I guess that means we'll all have to make a decision  
about this individually. As Mouse has said, we've done worse to  
make a living."  
  
"Like what?" They all turned to Usagi, who was frowning at  
them. Nyanko shook her head.  
"Are you naive, or what? What do you think we mean?" She  
crossed her arms and Usagi felt the heavy weight of silence on top  
of her.  
"You d... don't mean you've...."  
"On several planets, yes. How do you think I met Crow and  
Siren?" Usagi's jaw dropped.  
"NO WAY! I thought you four had only got together when   
Galaxia had rounded you up."  
  
"Hardly. I may have been a senshi to my world, but Mau was  
not the kind of planet to treat its girls with affection...." She  
looked gloomy. "Religious zealotry destroyed the Raj there. The  
Princess Nekoma was murdered... And we were left to fend for  
ourselves."  
  
"On Chuu, our world was dominated by a corporate structure  
that didn't tolerate the powerbase of the Monarchy. So they set up  
a covert operation to bring us down. And it worked. The entire  
Monarchial system collapsed, and we were forced to flee the planet."  
Mouse looked aside as she said that. "Whilst a monarchy in absentia  
was sustainable for a period of time, eventually the lack of support  
on Chuu itself drove us apart. I was only a senshi in training at  
the time. I really had no choices."  
  
"Its been a while now, but on Kaa, we never had the kind of   
stable matriarchy that other worlds have had. It was always a  
struggle to retain power. And lets face it, as soon as the strings  
to the homeworld were cut, it all went to pieces." Crow sighed.  
"I've been wandering around the various systems ever since. Its   
been a long time."  
  
"Considering its been ten thousand year since the Moon Kingdom  
collapsed...." Usagi scratched her nose. "I'd say you've been  
wandering a VERY long time. Probably as long as Setsuna."  
"Hmm? Who?" Crow frowned.  
"You know, Pluto. The tall, green-haired woman who carries a  
big stick."  
"Oh, her. Yeah, I guess so." Crow began to pace, hands held  
behind her back. "I seem to remember meeting her during a gathering  
of the various kingdoms, shortly before the fall. Although I   
couldn't be sure. There were a lot of people there at the time."   
Crow screwed up her face. "Her name was Hecate... Hecate Soth   
Drutein. She had only just assumed her position after the old one  
had retired to become a lecturer, or something like that."  
  
"For someone with a scratchy memory of events, you sure seem  
to remember a lot...." Usagi raised an eyebrow. Hecate Soth   
Drutein.... So that was her real name.... Or the name of the  
original Pluto she had met. Until Pluto had been reborn as Meiou  
Setsuna, she had not mentioned her name. Perhaps that was a good  
thing.... The revival of memories... of the likes of her sister,  
Naiad Keth, may have been a bit much for her at the time.  
  
Naiad Keth.... She had dropped her in this world to begin   
with. She had wondered why... For what purpose, but as things had  
progressed, she'd forgotten about them. The adaptability of the   
soul amazed her.  
And then she was no longer sitting in the room. Instead, she  
was standing at the base of a building in an abandoned city street.  
She stared around in a sudden fit of disorientation.  
  
Something flew down from the sky, hitting the ground with a  
splattering crunch nearby. She cringed when she registered it, and  
turned away as droplets of what was obviously blood sprayed over   
her.  
  
Slowly, she turned to face whomever it was that had struck the  
ground. For a few moments, she thought she was going to go mad.  
  
Minako, or her splattered remains, transformed as Venus, lay  
buried in the footpath. She reached forward, as if unable to   
believe what she was seeing before her, then looked up. A figure  
stood up there, at the top of the building. She could see its  
silhouette against the white sky quite clearly. And it looked like  
herself.  
----o  
Usako watched Akunatsuka bawling into her face with the kind   
of calm serenity that had simply driven him mad. He'd spent a good   
hour trying to get her to answer, make a response, anything, over   
the attack on the Buruto station. Memories of all the officers he   
had worked with, now dead, filled his mind with an angry   
bitterness.... If Tsukino was alive, then it was for certain that   
she had something to do with their deaths. And here she was, as   
clear as day, sitting in front of him.  
  
And she would just keep smiling, telling him to calm down and   
not be so stupid about things. He had almost punched her face in on  
at least a dozen occasions.  
  
"Over thirty people saw you leaving the scene of the Boruto  
station attack.... you were IN that building when it went up. None  
of the officers who were with you at the time survived. You cannot  
refute THAT kind of evidence."  
  
Usako sighed. "And I keep telling you, I wasn't at the Buruto  
station. I was with a couple of friends of mine. But I seem to  
have lost them."  
  
"Oh, how VERY convenient. And just who would these two   
friends be?" He held a fist out. The officer accompanying him was  
about to warn him of his interviewing behaviour, when the door to  
the interview room was flung open.  
  
"AAAAkuNAAAtsuKAAAA!" Rikai charged in, grabbing the burly   
man around the collar. Akunatsuka turned and instantly threw him  
off.  
"WHAT? WHAT DO YOU WANT?"  
"A WORD TO YOU! OUTSIDE! NOW!" Rikai pointed to the door.  
For a few moments, it seemed that Akunatsuka would punch him. Then  
he spat contemptuously and charged out, Rikai following him,   
slamming the door. Usako cringed at the sound, the first real sign   
that the events taking place were of any import to her.  
  
"Does this happen very often?" She asked the attending   
officer. He shrugged.  
"I dunno. Must be the way the planets are aligned."  
"Oh, you believe in Astrology, do you?"  
"Only on days like this."  
----o  
Akunatsuka paced around the rest room, thumping tables and   
chairs. Rikai stood at the door of the room, giving thanks to   
whomever was in charge upstairs that nobody was in the room at the   
time.  
  
A group of officers had built around the doorway behind him,   
watching Akunatsuka's tantrum. He shook his head and stepped in,   
shutting the door behind him.  
  
"Why in hell did you STOP ME?" Akunatsuka kicked a chair,  
looking back at Rikai. For his own part, Rikai looked down,   
containing himself.  
"You're out of line and you KNOW it."  
"I was assigned with my partner, Kikotsuka Aoi, to investigate  
the murder of that girl. Then she turns up at her parents' house,  
alive. We take her to Buruto to confirm that she was who she said   
she was, and she... and she..."  
  
"What? Did what? Eh?" Rikai crossed his arms as Akunatsuka   
shook his head, silently. "We have no PROOF that she was involved   
in the blast that destroyed the station you had been posted to."  
  
"PROOF? PROOF? The girl is ALIVE. She is ALIVE after being  
in the room that was the epicentre of the BLAST. And you're telling  
me that you have no PROOF that she was involved."  
  
"Think about it, man. If she WAS in the room that was the   
epicentre of the blast, she couldn't have survived. And I don't   
care what you say, I shall NOT believe in the stories of the   
supernatural that are running around about her."  
  
"Did you see her? Did you see what she was like when we were  
interviewing her? When she started to lose it? She looked  
POSSESSED. Possessed by something that was patently insane. I saw   
her, I KNOW."  
  
Rikai sneered. "And do you see anything about her now to  
suggest that she is 'possessed', hmm?" He waited for a response,  
and received none. He kicked the nearest table. "Let me tell you  
something, officer Akunatsuka, you may have worked within the force  
for a good ten years longer than I have, but I most certainly   
haven't seen anything to convince me of the existence of the   
supernatural."  
  
"Then you must be pretty blind." Akunatsuka sat in one of the  
chairs. "Can't you remember the monster attacks that have been   
occuring for the last couple of years?"  
  
There was a rumble, which shook the room. Both Akunatsuka and  
Rikai looked up and around, their attention shattered.  
  
"Earthquake?" Rikai muttered.  
"More like the shockwave from an explosion." Akunatsuka   
scratched his nose. "I remember the blast that sunk the Atakuyo.  
Shook everything for a hundred clicks."  
"Atakuyo? You mean the liner that was sunk to create an  
artificial reef?"  
"Yeah, big one, too. Took a lot of explosives to get her   
down." He let out a sigh as another rumble shook the room. "Looks  
like something is going on out there. Been going on for a while."  
  
"What? More 'supernatural' stuff?" Rikai laughed   
contemptuously. "I refuse, patently, to believe in the   
supernatural. Even if I was transported halfway across town by Kami  
knows what, I refuse."  
  
Akunatsuka turned to him. "And where were you when you  
were... transported?" He stared, rubbing his mouth. Rikai   
glowered.  
  
"At the Mizuno residence."  
"The home of one of the Tsukino girl's friends?" Rikai nodded  
mutely. Akunatsuka chuckled. "And why were you there?"  
"Her mother had called us.... Apparently the girl had made a  
somewhat emotional confession to her, virtually admitting that she  
and her friends were involved in the Tsukino girl's murder."  
  
Akunatsuka stared at him, shaking his head. "I don't   
understand any of this. I mean, she's sitting in your interview  
room, right now."  
"And if you'd bothered to listen to anyone, you'd realise that  
she has denied that she is Tsukino Usagi.... We're looking into it,  
and it seems pretty far-fetched, but under current circumstances, we  
aren't ruling anything out."  
  
Akunaatsuka laughed out loud. "And you said you didn't   
believe in the supernatural."  
"I never said my superiors didn't."  
"Then I think you should listen to them. That's why they're  
your superiors."  
  
Rikai closed his eyes, gritted his teeth and counted to ten.  
He opened them and stood straight. "I think its best if you stay  
in here. Either that or go home. You've already had a long day."  
  
"I can't go home.... Not until someone finds Aoi. I know   
she's not dead." Akunatsuka ran his hands through his thinning   
hair. "She can't be dead. She was further from the blast than I  
was."  
"We're looking for her. At least I can say they haven't found   
her body at the site of the explosion. Well, that they've been   
able to find. What with the levelling of the shrine and one of the  
local schools..."  
"Yes, indeed. Perhaps it might be a good idea to ask if any  
of the girls who were friends of the Tsukino girl were seen near   
both sites."  
  
"As I said, we're looking into everything." Rikai sighed.   
"I'm surprised the feds aren't involved in this already. Maybe  
with the way things have gone today, everyones been rattled."  
  
Akunatsuka put his head on the table. "Oooh man, I can still  
see their faces. All the people I worked with. The way they looked  
when I walked into that station with Aoi and the Tsukino girl. It  
was like nothing was going to happen."  
"None of them knew anything WAS going to happen."  
  
Akunatsuka raised his head and looked at Rikai pleadingly.   
"Just be careful, of that girl. And Kami... Find Aoi for me.   
Please, find her..."  
  
Rikai nodded, and turned, opening the door, pushing people out  
of the way. He closed it and Akunatsuka could hear him being   
questioned by those there. Rikai began to remonstrate with some of  
them.  
  
He sat back in his chair and stared at the ceiling as the   
station was shaken again, thinking thoughts like it was the end of  
the world.  
----o  
Before she knew what was happening, Usagi was standing in a   
park. The buildings that surrounded it seemed to be on fire.   
Strange, multicoloured flames.... Despite the scene's somewhat  
gaudy beauty, it smelt of the stench of death.  
  
She backed away from the flames, towards a fountain that sat  
in the middle of the lawn. Without realising how close she was, she   
tripped over the side and fell in, landing on top of someone who was   
already there.  
  
Quickly, she pulled herself aside and saw the green-dressed  
form of Jupiter, lying face-forward.  
  
She grabbed Jupiter and pulled her around, but it was obvious  
that the girl was dead, her face a ghastly pale.  
  
She must have been staring at that face for some time, because   
the next thing she knew, the buildings had stopped burning, reduced   
to smoking ruins. Usagi pulled Makoto up and cradled her head,   
gently stroking it.  
  
Then the waters of blue washed the vision away, and she found  
herself floating once more. Floating in that endless ocean, where  
up meant the light, and down meant the dark. And neither were quite  
what they seemed to be.  
"Usagi..." She was being shaken. She looked up and saw   
Nyanko staring at her intently. She was back in the room.  
  
She looked around.... All four of the Animates were staring  
at her with concern. "Are you alright, Usagi?" Nyanko put her  
hands on both shoulders. "What happened? Why did you do that?"  
"Do what?" Usagi asked blearily.  
"You were wailing... Keening, almost. It was horrible to  
listen to." Crow shook her head.  
  
"I... don't know what happened. It was, like, a vision. A  
vision of something bad. Of old friends dying. It came to me when  
I remembered a name..."  
  
"A name? Of whom?" Crow stepped forward.  
"Na... The sister of Hecate Soth Drutein..."  
  
All four opened their eyes wide and stepped back from Usagi.  
  
"The Witch of the Mind..." Crow shook her head. "You have  
met her?" Usagi was confused over their reaction.  
"Of... course I have. I would have, in my previous life, for  
certain, as the Princess Serenity."  
"Recently, I mean. Before you came here."  
"Umm.... I think I did. I'm sure it was her who dropped me  
in this world."  
  
"Oh Kaasta.... Kaa maataakaa baada kaamiktaa." Crow reverted  
to her native tongue, turning away. Usagi stared, then, pointing at   
her, turned to Nyanko.  
  
"What did she say?"  
"You don't want to know the translation. Its not the kind of  
language one would use for social chit-chat."  
"Of COURSE it isn't." Crow spun to Usagi. "She can't STILL  
be alive... Surely..."  
"Why? Have you met her?"  
"Met her? Of course we've met her. More than once, in our  
lifetimes. The woman is the spawn of evil."  
"Oh come on, she's not that bad." Siren shook her head. "She  
helped my world defend itself against Chaos when she was Aquus   
Turia, remember?"  
  
"Yes, and I seem to remember that she'd worked on the mind of  
the chaos entity, and drove it stark raving mad." Crow huffed. "I  
think the term for what she did is something in the regions of   
'mindrape'." Crow crossed her arms as Siren shot her a dirty look.  
"Are you complaining?"  
"Over a battle between Chaos and the Witch of the Mind? I'd  
say I feel just a bit ambivalent."  
  
"Who is Aquus Turia?" Usagi frowned. The expression she got  
from Siren was unbelievable.  
"Only the greatest Mind-Warrior senshi my world has ever seen.  
It was also the previous life she had spent before the one in your   
kingdom." Siren drifted off. "Even Chaos could not stand her. How   
I wished I had that kind of power."  
  
Usagi shook her head. All this was getting a little too much   
for her now. She felt a little faint, tried to stand, but   
found herself toppling forward. Nyanko was only just able to catch   
her before she hit the floor....  
----o  
Setsuna stared sadly at the door to her apartment, or lack of   
it, shaking her head. "You just can't leave anything in this town,  
anymore."  
Having changed back to their human forms, the three outer  
senshi had made their way to Setsuna's apartment, each taking turns  
at carrying Usagi. All three were surprised at the lack of physical  
strength that came with the change.  
"You should have had better security, Setsuna." said Michiru,  
who was standing on the stairway up to the door, holding Usagi's  
comatose body.  
Haruka, who was leaning against the railing, chuckled. "Why,  
Setsuna... I'm sure you should have seen this coming." For a   
moment, Michiru thought Setsuna was going to clobber Haruka. She  
wasn't likely to win against her, but the thought did seem to pass   
her mind.  
  
Then Setsuna smiled and pulled out a wad of papers from the  
pocket of her jacket. "I DID see it coming. And I placed the very  
BEST insurance policy on it." She flashed the claim form in   
Haruka's face. The jaws of both Haruka and Michiru were sitting on  
the ground.  
"Now, what should I put this down as.... Housebreaking, or  
malicious damage caused by monster rampaging through Tokyo...."  
  
There was another explosion some distance away. All three   
turned as the flash of light momentarily lit up the darkness,   
staggering at the shockwave.  
  
"I most certainly hope that doesn't come this way. I rather  
get the impression that it's will has become somewhat severed from  
that of its former master."  
  
"What was it again? This Resonator thingy." Haruka leaned   
over the railing. There were quite a few columns of smoke rising   
over the city, now. Plus the sounds of sirens. In the last couple   
of hours, it almost seemed like the emergency services had been   
placed on permanent standby.  
  
"Looks like my sister managed to blow it to ratshit, at the  
expense of Rei's shrine." Setsuna shrugged. "She really should  
have known better. The psychic shock caused to the thing was  
enough to cut the link. Now its running by impulse, doing what all  
of its kind would do, when devoid of the psychic control of its  
host."  
  
"I repeat my question. What was this Resonator creature   
again?" Haruka sighed.  
"Its a Resonator, of course." Setsuna waved at her   
dismissively. Haruka and Michiru ooohed as if that was supposed to   
answer everything.  
  
Setsuna pulled out a pen from within her jacket and, leaning  
against the railing, started to fill out the form. It was about  
then that the sky fell.  
  
It started with a kind of whining sound, like an elongated  
cry, hollow and empty. All three looked at each other, and Setsuna  
placed the pen and form back into her jacket.  
"Doesn't look like I'll get the opportunity to make the   
claim." She gestured to Michiru, who looked as if she was about to  
collapse under the weight of Usagi. "Put her inside, quickly."  
  
Michiru nodded, and carried Usagi through the open doorway.  
Haruka, who had been looking up at the sky, trying to find the   
source of the sound, pointed.  
"Bloody hell." She croaked as the clouds that floated over  
the city were thrown aside by a huge force. Haruka, even with all  
the things she had seen during her time as a senshi, had never seen  
anything quite like this. Setsuna followed her gaze and nodded.  
"And this is just for starters."  
  
The blackness of the night sky above ruptured, splitting and  
peeling like exploding flesh. Huge drops of white blood rained down  
upon the city, striking buildings but seemingly doing nothing to   
them. Then figures, thousands of them, began to fall from the   
rupture.  
  
As the rupture split further, over the top of Setsuna's house,  
Haruka and Setsuna were entertained by the sight of even more   
figures tumbling towards them. Screams and cries of fear filled the  
air... From the figures themselves and from people on the ground,  
terrified at the sight above them.  
  
"Theres gonna be mass panic. This is BAD." They turned as  
Michiru stepped out of the apartment after having lightened her   
load. "You were right, Setsuna, this is a brown panty special."  
  
They could hear a pair of screams coming into earshot, and  
turned as two figures fell onto the lawn in the small backyard.  
For a moment, Haruka and Michiru thought the pair might've been  
splattered, but there was a whoosh of air and the two came to a  
cushioned stop.  
  
"Are you alright, Chibiusa" Mamoru helped the Chibiusa 4P to  
her feet.  
"Hai, Mamo-chan." She nodded as she stared into his eyes.  
With the dissipation of the size difference, she found Mamoru's  
treatment of her to be one more of an equal than a child. Something  
she was eternally grateful for.  
"Mamoru-kun? Usagi?" The pair turned to see Setsuna, Haruka  
and Michiru staring at them. Haruka jumped from the stairway and  
ran up to them. "Mamoru-kun, are you alright? Usagi?" Haruka   
raised an eyebrow. "She's not a Youma, is she?"  
"Why would she be a Youma, Haruka-san?" Mamoru frowned  
questioningly. Chibiusa stuck her tongue out at her. "This,   
although her appearance may be somewhat deceiving, is Chibiusa."  
  
By this point, Setsuna and Michiru had made their way down the  
steps and were beside Haruka. "This is Chibiusa?" Haruka stared at  
the 4P. "How is that possible?"  
"I'm not sure. One moment she was... Well, she was an Usagi,  
the next, its Chibiusa in there."  
"Well, where is she now? The real Chibiusa, I mean."  
  
It was about this point that another Usagi fell into the   
backyard. Like Mamoru and Chibiusa, she was cushioned by a rush of  
air.  
"What the f...." Haruka muttered as the Usagi Chief Executive  
got to her feet, the cats in both her arms.  
"Gomen na sai, Mamo-chan. My arrival was a little tardy. I  
had some matters to take care of. The Chief Exec placed the cats on  
the lawn. Artemis, who was out cold, lay like a white sack of fur.  
Luna, however, with something more like a sense of decorum, took a   
few shaky steps forward.  
"It would seem that we have lost Minako, Usashin and Aosagi."  
She promptly collapsed. This was too much for a kitty in one day.  
  
Mamoru was looking at his surroundings. "Am I really back?  
In my world?" He seemed insanely happy.  
"Uh... Yeah, right." Haruka took Mamoru by the shoulder and  
shook him. "Reality check, Mamoru. Just where did you fall from,  
why is there more than one Usagi, and who the hell is it that is  
falling from the sky?"  
"Ano...." Mamoru pointed upwards. "This may be difficult to   
explain."  
"Try me. I've just spent a day with Setsuna. Nothing you   
can say will make things any worse." Haruka closed her eyes, ready   
for the technobabble once more.  
  
"Well, we were trapped in a dimension with a living entity   
that is known as The Eternal City. That is where we fell from. All  
these others that are falling with us are Usagis. To the max, even.  
Excpet for Mina-chan, who, I'm sure, is around here somewhere. I  
don't know about Hotaru. It was because of her that this happened."  
  
"Why?" Setsuna frowned. "What did she do?"  
"She's just performed a Death Reborn Revolution in the middle  
of a dimension that crosses over on itself. What do you think will  
happen?"  
  
Setsuna broke out in fits of laughter. They all stared at her  
with stunned expressions as she hugged her sides.  
  
"Ano... Setsuna, would you mind sharing the joke?" Michiru  
asked quietly.  
"Its nothing. Its just that my sister's plan actually worked.  
That stupid city tried to use Hotaru to destroy the Destroyers that  
threatened it. For millenia, its been hassling people, anybody with  
sufficient power, into early graves, to help it. Now its got one  
that'll wipe IT out as well." Setsuna shook her fist at the sky  
"Sucked in you stupid bastard! How do you like THAT?"  
  
"But what's happened to Hotaru? And what does that have to do  
with that big hole in the sky?" Michiru turned to the sky, and was  
stunned to see a devastated landscape through it.  
  
"It would seem that the flimsy barrier the city put between  
the dimensions was not enough to withstand something like a DRR.   
And as for Hotaru's whereabouts...." Setsuna pointed. Against the  
white and gray of the landscape and the dimensional tear, they could  
see a dark figure floating down.  
  
"Umm.... What if she's still in a pissed-off state of mind?"  
Haruka bit her lower lip.  
"I don't think so. An attack like the DRR uses up a great   
deal of her power. And if she used any attack before that, then it  
is likely the best she can manage is to levitate."  
"Since when is levitation one of Saturn's powers?" Michiru  
looked at Setsuna.  
"Since when was transportation one of mine?" Setsuna sniffed.  
"We have many powers and abilities we have yet to trawl. Without  
the benefit of an institution to teach us these things, we are   
having to fall back on the residual memories of our past lives."  
Setsuna pointed to Michiru. "Come with me. We should go and   
collect Hotaru. Something tells me we may need the more diplomatic  
members of our little gathering." She turned to Haruka. "You, find   
our guests something to drink and a place to rest. They're going to   
need it."  
  
Haruka looked like she was about to complain. "Just do it,  
Haruka. We're stretched of our resorces as it is." Setsuna clicked  
her fingers at Michiru and the pair of them dashed away towards the  
street, transforming as they did so. Michiru looked aside at   
Setsuna as the woman began to mutter an incantation.  
  
"Why do we need to be diplomatic with Hotaru? I thought she  
was one of us? Most of the time, anyway...."  
  
Setsuna was surprised that she heard Michiru say this without  
opening her mouth. "I see you've remembered you telepathic powers,  
then." She replied in kind, too busy with the incantation to use  
more physical methods of communication.  
  
"I knew about this a long time ago. I'm not as stupid as you  
seem to think me."  
"I never said you were."  
"You seem to act and react as if I were."  
"So sorry I'm not perfect."  
"You didn't answer my question."  
Setsuna mentally sighed as they leapt atop rooves, bounding  
from building to building. "Hotaru has been through quite a bit  
within the Eternal City.... The dimension seems almost perfectly  
designed to disorient all within. I'm afraid Hotaru may no longer  
quite know who is friend or foe."  
  
Michiru went quiet as their bodies transformed into light.  
Setsuna heard a question just as the rapid transport began.  
  
"Why didn't my powers detect the visions you gave us to be  
false? A manipulation?"  
"Because...." Setsuna thought for a few moments... "Perhaps  
they were not merely visions, but a twisted form of what was to be."  
  
Michiru shivered.  
----o  
Akunatsuka had been roused by sounds of panic. For a moment,  
he wondered why he wasn't in his bed at home.  
  
Of course, he thought, I'm at the Juuban station. He   
remembered that he'd decided to crash in the appropriately named  
rest room, switching off the lights, he'd lain down on the sofa that   
sat in the far corner.  
  
Then another thought hit him... The Tsukino girl... She was  
in the building... What if...  
  
He found himself sitting up very quickly. The sounds were   
quite clear now. People running about, shouting things. Some   
screams, some angry words, some attempts to keep things under   
control.... And above it all, a horrible rumbling sound, the likes  
of which he'd never heard before in his life. Slowly, he stood,  
grabbing his jacket from the back of the nearest chair. Slowly, he   
put it on and stepped along the main table to the door.  
He opened it, and found the corridor outside empty. Well,   
almost empty. Usako stood there, smiling at him.  
  
"Ah, you're awake, I see."  
He'd taken a full step backwards. "What the hell are you   
doing here? What the hell is going on?" Usako ignored him and   
turned aside.  
"This is the man who was asking me all those questions." He  
turned to see who she was talking to, and went momentarily insane.  
There stood two more Usagis... Albeit, with minor differences. One  
had her hair dyed red and tied back sans odangos. She also had a   
cross scar on her cheek and was wearing a traditional costume,   
coloured a brownish-red, from the early Meiji era, complete with  
sword at her hip. The other wore a red ninja costume inside a long  
white coat, her hair held back with a white headband.  
  
"Akunatsuka-san, may I present Tsukino Usashin and Shinomori  
Aosagi, the two friends I was telling you about."  
  
"What the hell is going on here? You can't all be... Can't  
all be her...."  
"Who? Tsukino Usagi?" Usashin stared at him gravely. For  
some reason, Akunatsuka felt the girl's gaze probing into him.  
"Y..yes.."  
"That girl is dead. We witnessed the crime ourselves."  
"Dead? Then who the hell are you?"  
"We are genetic copies of her, created in the hope of becoming  
her. As you can see, we did not match expectations."  
  
His head was swimming. "What the hell is going on here?"  
"Allow me to explain this to you simply, different man."   
Aosagi pointed to him. "We were brought into your dimension by a  
rift that is currently occuring at this very moment. That is the  
rumbling sound you are hearing, only we were cast to a point before  
the death of Tsukino Usagi. It was there, by some divine   
providence, that we were to witness the defiling of her good self  
by those who described themselves as her friends."  
  
"Oh, this is just great." Akunatsuka shook his head. "I'm  
not paid enough for this." Akunatsuka's attitude annoyed Aosagi,  
and she grabbed him by the collar, thrusting a blade to his throat.  
"Wh... What are you doing?"  
"Listen to me, different man, you have seen your friends  
killed by a beast that has taken the form of Tsukino Usagi."  
"A beast?"  
"A creature called a youma. It means to kill all in its wake  
if it is not stopped."  
  
Something clicked in Akunatsuka's mind. He looked at the   
blade, then at Aosagi. The girl removed the blade and stepped back.  
  
"I will have to believe you. Nothing else makes sense." He  
looked around at the empty corridor. "Where has everyone gone?"  
  
"When the dimensional rupture occured, the officers of this  
station panicked. The whole city has panicked. Very soon, the   
military will become involved, and the stakes shall rise. A   
declaration of martial law shall be imposed, in the hope of   
suppressing the panic. It shall not, however, suppress the Youma  
once it has returned." Usashin gestured down the corridor. "I  
suggest we make ourselves scarce."  
"Where is this Youma creature now?"  
"I'm not sure. It could be anywhere. Suffice to say, it is  
not here now. The beast has the memories of Tsukino Usagi, and   
considers her ex-friends to be her killers. It shall return for   
them. Now, if you could please hurry...."  
  
"Why?" Akunatsuka looked at Usashin, who had taken him by the  
arm. His answer came rapidly, as one end of the corridor exploded,   
dust and cement flying in every direction.  
  
They turned to see the Resonator, larger than before,   
thrashing about as it absorbed the mutilated body of one of its   
victims, making obscene cackling noises.  
  
"That's why." Usashin muttered. "That creature means us   
great harm." It looked it too. All four made a hasty retreat in  
the opposite direction. Then there was a short blast, and that end  
of the corridor collapsed into dust, the product of an energy blast  
from the Resonator.  
  
"Gonna eat you, gonna kill you. Is fun. Will hunt and kill   
everything. Hate all. Hate." It slobbered throughout the   
sentence. The quartet turned to it and prepared to defend   
themselves, Usashin drawing her sword, Aosagi whipping out a blade  
on a chain, Akunatsuka taking out his police-issue revolver, and   
Usako putting her hands over her head.  
  
They didn't get an opportunity to fight. A figure appeared   
before them and stared around as if not knowing where she was.  
  
"Aha!" PalaPala smiled. "I remember what I was supposed to  
do now!" She turned to the four. "I'm here to rescue you."  
"Then hurry and do it." Usashin pointed to the Resonator with  
her sword. The creature was pushing thick reinforced concrete walls  
aside to get to them. PalaPala smiled and lifted her right hand   
into the air, pointing it at the beast.  
  
"BolaBola Centrifuge...." She said, her words echoing   
slightly. Four multicoloured balls appeared above her hand,   
spinning like a merry-go-round. "CONCENTRATION POINT IMPACT!" She  
shouted, and the four balls glowed with energy, shooting off at high  
speed at the Resonator. The blast that ensued was incredible,   
easily blowing it several miles from where it started. Fortunately,  
the entire blast was concentrated in one direction. Unfortunately,  
several billion dollars worth of real estate went up with it.  
  
Akunatsuka watched this with his mouth open. "Th... That was  
magic! Real magic!" PalaPala turned to him and giggled.  
"No, silly, that's the science of the elements... Of the High  
Universal Empire." She pointed at the them. "You can put your  
weapons back. It won't be returning for some time."  
  
They did, and PalaPala clapped her hands together, doing her  
best to sound chipper. "Well, people, I'm sorry, but I'm going to  
have to put you all through the ordeal of transportation."  
"Transportation?" Akunatuka mumbled. Then he remembered what  
Rikai had told him.... That he had been transported across the city  
by who knew who.... "Wait a minute... Will this hurt?"  
  
PalaPala giggled as a sphere of energy surrounded them. "No,  
but you'll have the runs for a week."  
"Whaaat?" Was all Akunatsuka could get out before all five  
disappeared in a flash of energy.  
----o  
It was quite an attractive morning. A mist covered the desert  
landscape, rolling like a wave through the valley that contained   
Tomoe's building fortress and the few ruins that lay around it.  
  
The Youma Usagi watched as a flock of birds flew overhead.   
The world was, most definitely, coming back to life. It was such  
a beautiful sight to watch. She felt tears coming to her eyes.  
  
She had been up all night, sitting on the roof of the   
building, staring at the stars. Thoughts passed through her head,  
both good and bad. She wanted to remain in this world, to see out  
its rebirth.... But destiny dictated that she must return. To the  
past. Everything about her life had been guided by that most  
universal of powers.... Destiny.  
  
And so, she had made a decision.  
----o  
Hotaru woke to find Usako lying partially across her. For a  
few moments, she wondered who it might be, but the light through the  
window, casting across Usako's serene face, told her.  
  
She sat up and groaned slightly. She had a splitting   
headache. Rubbing her eyes in the hope that it would take away the  
pain. It didn't.  
  
She reached under her bunk and pulled out a bottle of a   
noxious-looking brown liquid. She opened the top and took a swig,  
her face screwing up at its foul taste. It had the desired effect,  
though. After a few more swigs, she felt the headache beginning to  
recede. Still, there was nothing as horrible as whiskey first thing  
in the morning, even if it was the best cure for a hangover.  
  
She resealed the bottle and placed it back underneath the   
bunk. After a few moments of shaking her head to make the alcohol   
work faster, and failing, she gently prised her feet in the hope  
that she wouldn't wake Usako. It didn't work. Usako's eyes were  
open the moment Hotaru started to move, and she sat up, staring at  
the sunlight that peered through the window over the bunk.  
  
"Ohayo, Hotaru-chan." She said, sleepily.  
"Ohayo." Hotaru replied, surprised to find her voice rather  
husky at this hour.  
"Did you sleep well?" Usako pushed her hair back and sat on  
the edge of the bunk, crossing her hands in her lap.  
"Not initially.... I was having strange dreams... Then   
things seemed to settle." Hotaru looked at her for a moment. "That  
wasn't your doing, was it?"  
  
Usako smiled sweetly. "You looked like you needed a little   
help settling down."  
Hotaru shook her head and closed her eyes. "You're too kind  
to me. I really do wish you wouldn't be."  
"I give kindness to whomever I wish to. If I choose you, then  
kindness you shall receive." Hotaru chuckled and smiled. No matter  
how hard she tried, she couldn't make herself feel angry around   
Usako.  
  
Her expression changed to a more solemn one. Usako had seen  
this often.... One moment Hotaru was smiling, the next, all that  
momentary joy was sapped from her. Disturbing to watch.  
  
Usako placed a hand against Hotaru's arm, and the pair stared  
at each other. "I promised you a better future, Hotaru-chan. I  
will deliver the peace of mind you are searching for."  
"Don't want it."  
"Yes you do."  
"Don't want the kind of peace you have to offer."  
  
Usako sighed. "Death shall not offer you the peace you are  
looking for, Hotaru-chan."  
"Don't call me Hotaru-chan. I'm not a kid anymore."  
"I'll call you Hotaru-chan if you're going to act like a kid."  
  
Hotaru felt her anger disappear in an instant. She shook her   
head. "Stop using that power on me, Usako. I can only get over my  
problems by myself."  
"How will you get over your problems if you kill yourself   
first?" Usako wasn't smiling anymore, and Hotaru sighed.  
"Lets not argue, okay? I'm hungry. I can't think with an  
empty stomach."  
  
Usako smiled again and stood from the bed. "I can hear the  
generator going again. That means there shall be hot water soon.  
I suggest we partake in the communal ablutions...."  
"Eh?" Hotaru scratched her head. "Its too early in the  
morning for that kind of language."  
"Very well then. Shall we bathe with the Usagis?"  
"Ehhhh?" Hotaru looked at her. "I hate taking a bath with  
others. You know that."  
"What? You mean you've never bathed with the Usagis before?"  
Usako stared at her. Hotaru shook her head.  
"I don't like to relate with people that way. If I'm going  
to wash myself, I prefer to do it alone."  
"Are you afraid of showing your body to others?"  
  
Hotaru facefaulted. "Oh gawwd, its not that, fer Kami's sake.  
I just hate having others around me whilst I'm washing myself."  
  
Usako nodded. "Uh-huh. A nudity complex." Hotaru opened her  
eyes wide and began to stutter a protest, when Usako took her by the  
hand and pulled her off the bunk. "We'll soon cure you of that."  
"B..b..b..but I don't wanna. Lemme go!" Usako was   
surprisingly strong, and Hotaru found herself in the corridor and  
down two flights of stairs before she managed to break free. Usako  
turned to her at the corner of the stairwell and stared, making  
Hotaru feel very uncomfortable.  
  
"Na...nani?" Hotaru stammered under the glare. Usako shook  
her head, sadly.  
"Why do you do this? Why do you reject every little bit of  
help I offer you?"  
"Help?" Hotaru frowned. "What kind of help is dumping me in  
a communal bath full of Usagis?"  
  
"The kind of help that forces you to start socialising with  
people again. Even if they all look like me." Usako lifted up her  
arm and stared at it, then turned to the nearby window and made  
faces. "Ah yes, I've still got it. That fresh skin, those good   
looks." She raised an eyebrow, looking aside at Hotaru. "Better   
looking than you." She chuckled. Hotaru felt her anger rise.  
  
"What do you MEAN, better looking than me? I'll have you know  
that, wherever we went together, I had more men turn their heads in  
MY direction than you ever had."  
  
Usako waved at her dismissively. "Pshu... Merely a case of  
packaging. You can make mutton look good by dressing it up as lamb,  
you know?"  
  
The pair stared at each other for a few moments, then burst   
out laughing. Hotaru then sighed. "Alright, you win. I'll take  
the bath."  
"Oh yay."  
"But if one of those Usagis gets on my nerves, it'll be the  
glaive for them."  
"Perish the thought."  
  
Hotaru took a few steps forward, then stopped, turning to  
Usako. "What if SHE is there?"  
"She won't be."  
"How can you be so sure."  
"Oh, I know. You'll be surprised how little you will see of  
her from now on."  
  
Hotaru scratched her head, then continued on. Usako paused  
for a few moments, thinking, then followed.  
----o  
Within a matter of seconds, and a flash of bright light,   
Setsuna and Michiru, in the form of Pluto and Neptune, arrived at   
the summit of the multi-storey building that had been close to the  
epicentre of the dimensional rift. Michiru looked up at the ruined  
landscape that was contained in the alternate dimension, and was  
surprised to see little dark lines slowly crawling across the   
surface. For a few moments, she wondered what they might be, but   
was distracted by Setsuna's voice.  
  
"Saturn...." She looked down as Setsuna approached the dark  
figure, sitting on the side of the building. She had to look twice.  
The figure was not the Hotaru she remembered. Taller now, perhaps  
the tallest of them all, she wore a black minidress with a black  
bow on the back, rather than the traditional senshi fuku. She  
wondered why the sudden change....   
  
Perhaps some residual effect from the takeover by Mistress   
Nine? No, that wasn't it.... This was an inner darkness, of which   
Hotaru had barely begun to scratch the surface. The girl's eyes   
were glazed over, like the aftereffects of rapture, or a kind of   
religious orgasm.  
  
Michiru would have been surprised to find these thoughts were   
surprisingly accurate. What Hotaru had just experienced was a full   
use of her powers.... With her ultimate survival. The pleasure at   
letting these powers go and living to see the results of her   
handiwork was a revelation she would not soon forget.  
  
She turned to Setsuna, who had approached her cautiously, and  
smiled. "Hello, Setsuna."  
"Hello Hotaru." Setsuna answered back, in a surprisingly calm  
tone of voice. Hotaru swung her legs around from over the side of  
the building and stood. Setsuna watched as she brought the Silence  
Glaive around, the weapon fading into a beam of light and   
disappearing into her hand.  
  
"I see your weapon of choice has returned to you."  
"It felt good to use, once more. Galaxia's efforts to destroy   
it were obviously less than successful." Hotaru looked up at her.  
"And if that's so, where is your Time Key?"  
  
Setsuna sighed. "I choose not to regenerate it. The priest's  
staff I have been using is enough of an avatar for my power. For   
the time being, anyway."  
  
"Ah, very good, very good." Hotaru looked up at the   
dimensional breach. "Oh dear. So sorry about that. Got a little   
carried away there."  
  
"You call that a LITTLE?" Michiru pointed upwards. "I hope  
you don't intend to do this every day."  
  
Hotaru looked at Michiru and smiled. "I shouldn't guess that  
it will be needed again. The Destroyers that threatened the City  
are dead. Mostly."  
  
"And what of the Eternal City itself?" Setsuna looked   
upwards. "I see it is beginning to regenerate." She looked back  
down again. "I get the feeling it won't be too happy for what you   
did."  
  
"So?" Hotaru shrugged, almost giggling. "I did what it asked  
of me. It wanted those Destroyers.... destroyed. And so they are."  
"But not all of them." Michiru put her hands on her hips.  
"No. Sorry about that."  
  
Setsuna smiled. "Don't worry yourself about it. I shouldn't  
think the blame for everything that is about to happen should be  
placed on your shoulders."  
  
"Indeed, I very much agree. This was not the act of someone  
who is given a choice in the matter." Hotaru shivered. "I hate  
being manipulated into doing the wrong thing for an ultimate right,  
don't you?"  
  
Setsuna nodded and watched as Hotaru placed a hand to her   
mouth, licking some of her and the Destroyers' blood off. Little,   
almost miniscule, droplets of black covered her all over, but   
neither Setsuna nor Michiru recognised what it was.  
Then a light struck them.... The light of a helicopter search  
light. All three turned, almost without fear, towards the source.  
A military vehicle, though Michiru, great, just what is needed in   
this situation. Not.  
  
"STAY WHERE YOU ARE. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MOVE." Came a voice  
over a loudspeaker as the chopper motioned over the buidling.   
Soldiers dropped from the vehicle and landed nearby, aiming   
automatic weapons at the trio.  
  
"A bit of overkill, I must say." Michiru sniffed.  
"Dangerous overkill." Setsuna shook her head. "We really  
can't afford to mess with the military right at this moment."  
  
"DO NOT MOVE. UNDER THE EMERGENCY POWERS ACT, WE HAVE THE   
RIGHT TO DETAIN YOU. DO NOT MOVE." The voice over the loudspeaker  
instructed. The trio looked at each other, and Setsuna sighed.  
  
"Should we surrender, or leave?"  
"Leaving sounds like a good option." Hotaru shrugged.  
  
As the soldiers closed in, Setsuna muttered an incantation,  
and in the blink of an eye, the three disappeared in a veil of   
light. One of the soldiers let off a couple of rounds, and there  
was a cry of pain. Then the light dissipated.  
----o  
Naru wandered the grounds of the Academy, and discovered just  
how far the campus extended. The fact that the huge grounds were  
dotted with outcrops of buildings stunned her. She never   
contemplated just how many people must have been studying here.   
Surely enough to populate a small city....  
  
But then, her mind was on other things. People walked by,   
staring at her distant expression. What were they thinking?  
  
There is no leaving the Academy. Once here, you're here  
until you graduate, be it good or bad. That would have meant any  
student who looked out of it was a potential... Yes, that was it.  
  
Runners.... The name given to Academy students who try to  
leave of their own accord. It was a shame on the institution if  
anyone did that.... Sooner or later, the authorities would find you  
and punish you for bringing the Academy into disrepute... Don't  
worry if you didn't belong there in the first place, or if it  
damaged your hopes and aspirations....  
  
"I was told you were out here again." Naru felt her hackles  
rise.  
"I don't want to speak with you, Naiad."  
"Tranqs, this is silly.... Look, I'm sorry.... I didn't   
expect you to find out that way... About Astute and I... We were  
both highly embarassed when my sister told me..."  
  
"And how do you think I feel?" Naru shivered and turned to  
Naiad, registering for the first time that they were standing alone  
in the middle of one of the Academy's gardens. A mist was rising  
around them, illuminated by the ornate lamps that covered the   
grounds as the last of the sunlight disappeared.  
  
Naiad looked down and shook her head, obviously not knowing  
what to say.  
"We've never kept secrets from each other, not since we met.  
Why now, Naiad? Why this? You could have told me."  
"Did it make you feel jealous?" Naiad stepped forward.   
"Seeing me in Astute's arms?"  
  
Naru stamped her feet on the ground. "Damn straight it did.  
Astute.... with YOU! Nobody will accept that!"  
  
Naiad's face softened, and she put her hands on Naru's   
shoulders. "I'm sorry, Tranqs, but you know how I get, sometimes.  
I just can't make my mind up about things. But believe me, I don't  
want this to get between us."  
  
"Between us? It's already between us." Well, between you and  
Tranquility, Naru thought to herself. For some reason, her thoughts  
were being guided by Tranquility's feelings... And suddenly she   
felt something REALLY scary was about to happen.  
  
"Don't worry, Tranqs... After all that, you're still much   
better than he is."  
  
And with that Naiad kissed her. Passionately. And Naru   
responded in kind.... Or, at least, Tranquility did. In Naru's  
case, all the alarm bells were going off in her mind. She was in  
the poop, neck deep.  
  
"Oh Kami...." She thought. "Stop this train, driver, I wanna   
get off...."  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
and again  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
END OF PART 12  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
Notes  
  
Woohoo, finally finished this part.... Pretty hard now considering  
how far I'm into the story. I'm getting to the point where I'm  
constantly having to look back to make sure I haven't made any  
continuity errors. And that's just the "Usagi is Dead" continuity.  
  
In the next chapter of UID, "God from a Machine" (Yes, finally, I  
get to use that title ^_^), the Resonator catches up with our   
fleeing victims... uh.. heores, and mass destruction results, until  
it annoys the Youma Usagi, who has come back to fulfill her destiny.  
  
All comments and criticisms are gratefully received by DDFA at  
darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
DDFA, 25th December 1997 (Ho Ho Ho) 


	13. Part 13: God From A Machine

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 13  
  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
IRC: Mappy on DALnet's #AJAS  
  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so  
  
these characters really belong to them, except ones I made up. You  
  
know who they are! They're the ones that run around doing bad   
  
things to the original cast. ^_^ Well, most of them, anyway.  
  
Part Thirteen  
  
God from a Machine  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The sky was the most incredible aquamarine blue. Everything  
  
about this world just said blue blue blue. Naturally, it drove the  
  
woman stark raving bonkers.  
  
Not that she had anything against the colour blue. She was  
  
actually quite fond of it, really. It was just that she would have  
  
liked a little relief from its consistency.  
  
The relief came in the form of an island. There were a lot of  
  
islands on this world.... Twenty thousand in all. But then, none  
  
of them were any bigger than this one. This planet was an ocean  
  
world, and its inhabitants were, quintessentially, aquatic beings.  
  
She didn't have any business with them, though. Well, she did  
  
have with one. But a rather special one, and it annoyed her that  
  
she was sleeping on the job. The woman chuckled at that.  
  
She flew over the island, getting an idea of its terrain. She  
  
cursed the fact that her scarlet hair was so long. All the wind had  
  
to do was blow slightly the wrong way and it was over her face. It  
  
happened just as she flew across the middle of the island. For some  
  
reason, the islands had a tendency, despite their small size, to  
  
create thermal uplifts, and right now, she found her hair going in  
  
every direction.  
  
She was disappointed that she couldn't find what she was   
  
looking for from the air, and decided to try the closer approach.  
  
She decended and landed on the clearest section of the island she  
  
could see, which, naturally, was the beach.  
  
She brushed down her red and black miko gown, thankful for the  
  
thickness and warmth it gave her. Otherwise she would have frozen  
  
to death from the wind, and burnt herself to a crisp from the solar  
  
rays. She turned to the world's sun.... As blue as everything else  
  
around here. Despite the laws of science dictating that a blue star  
  
burnt hottest, this one wasn't hot at all, on a universal level.   
  
There were yellow stars that burnt far hotter than this one.   
  
Pitiful, really. Not a good sign when it came to divining the   
  
system's elemental powers.  
  
She wandered through the exotic undergrowth of the island,   
  
occasionally looking up into the canopy for potential predators. In  
  
her experience, it was best not to chance the possibilities of   
  
running into carnivores on alien planets. Although she was sure   
  
there wasn't any here (she certainly hadn't heard of any dangerous  
  
creatures on the islands of Mherr) she wasn't going to risk the  
  
ridiculously rapid processes of snap evolution.... And there were a  
  
mighty number of dangerous creatures living in the seas that were  
  
just waiting to make the big move onto land.  
  
If only there had been a worthwhile piece of land for any of  
  
these creatures to move on to. Unlike most other worlds that   
  
contained forms of life, the massive oceans of Mherr had seen   
  
evolution ensnared almost completely underwater. It was there that  
  
the planet's first intelligent lifeform evolved... Beings who   
  
appeared to be aquatic mammals, who bred through the partnering of  
  
male and female. Many of the species on the planet were   
  
hermaphrodites, so it was a rarity. Only a million years before,   
  
this species was also entirely hermaphroditic, and there were a  
  
large number of throwbacks amongst their population, not to mention  
  
a cult of hermaphroditism amongst those who weren't.  
  
It had been predicted, by the colonists from the empire who  
  
had settled here, that, in time, the sexual division of male and  
  
female would eventually disappear. So it was decided to eradicate  
  
the hermaphroditic element through interbreeding with the   
  
homeworlders. Just as they did wherever they went. To subdue a  
  
system, one must first assimilate the population.  
  
It had happened on Earth, of course. Back when it was known   
  
as Terra. She couldn't remember when anyone decided on the great   
  
name change. Terra was suitable enough for people then, why change   
  
it?  
  
Anyway, the colonists came, saw and mated with the natives.   
  
From the humble, evolving ape species came a being of greater   
  
intellect and physical refinement. This species was then developed   
  
over several generations, eventually subsumed totally into the   
  
Homeworlders spiritual sphere.  
  
Once this was done, the system was then harnessed for its  
  
elemental powers. An alien biology the system could reject offhand,   
  
but not one that had evolved within the system itself. There were   
  
times when she wondered whether this meant star systems had a kind   
  
of intelligence, a sentience....  
  
Once the system's elemental powers were under the inhabitants'  
  
control, it, too, was subsumed into the whole. And once a system  
  
fell, those around it tended to follow suit. An intergalactic   
  
domino theory.  
  
The vegetation began to thicken, and she could feel the   
  
breezes that blew in from the sea subside. Now her miko gown was  
  
becoming a nuisance.... Snagging on the undergrowth.... It was an  
  
entirely ornamental thing, designed for the ceremonies and special  
  
events that used to occur when the Kingdom was still in existence.  
  
Today, it was nothing more than a symbol for what she had been,   
  
especially amongst the populations of other worlds. Whilst the  
  
Empire itself no longer engendered the subservience and affection it  
  
used to, there was at least an acknowledgement of those who had  
  
served some time in the offices of church and state.  
  
For a few moments, she considered abandoning it, but then the  
  
undergrowth began to clear. A small rise that lead to a deeper   
  
gully came into view, covered over with vast trees. In the centre   
  
of the gully sat what she was looking for.... An altar.  
  
It was not an ordinary altar... This one was still operating.  
  
Its power field could be felt even at this distance, although it was  
  
designed not to be detected any other way than on foot. What the   
  
altar contained was too important for it to be discovered by the  
  
casual bypasser. She should have thought of that when she was   
  
flying over the island. Would have saved time, and she was running  
  
out of it.  
  
At the centre of the altar was a huge ceramic platform, which  
  
rose no more than four feet off the ground, yet easily spanned some  
  
twelve by fifteen feet in its width and length. This dropped down  
  
to a ceramic base that surrounded the platform by two feet. At the  
  
corners of the base sat four fonts on gilded posts. Around the base  
  
of the posts were drains and ducts for water, which appeared to be  
  
flowing from the centre of the fonts, over their sides. Appeared,  
  
because the water was frozen in place.  
  
It was like time had stopped and the flow with it. The woman  
  
approached the altar, her attention taken by the setup's most   
  
important aspect.... The body that lay atop the centre of the main  
  
platform.  
  
It was the naked form of a young woman. She appeared to be  
  
sleeping, although the woman knew better of this. The girl had  
  
exquisite light green-blue hair, running down to her ankles, and  
  
extremely pale skin. Her ears were flourished with fins, and her  
  
hands and feet were webbed, albeit not a great deal. Definitely the  
  
product of much development by the Empire, thought the woman.  
  
There was something across the girl's face.... She couldn't  
  
get a better look, because she felt what appeared to be a barrier at  
  
the edge of the altar. She placed two fingers, up straight, in  
  
front of her mouth, and began to chant.  
  
The barrier, an energy field, flashed as the power of the   
  
chant caused it to falter. Eventually, it shattered like glass,  
  
disappearing into a powder of energy that flew by the woman as she  
  
completed her chant and gestured a symbol of faith.  
  
For a split second, a mark appeared on her forehead, like a  
  
letter M with an arrowed tail. It glowed a scarlet red, then   
  
disappeared. The woman opened her eyes and turned aside as the   
  
fonts burst into life, water flowing freely from some unknown   
  
source.  
  
She stepped up onto the base and then climbed onto the  
  
platform, crawling over to her target. She stopped and stared down   
  
at the girl's still face, kneeling before her.  
  
The object that she had seen were two bands, running across   
  
the girl's face, meeting at the bridge of her nose, where they were  
  
connected by a turquoise shell symbol. She chuckled.... The mark  
  
of a senshi.... An ordinary senshi, but a senshi all the same. She  
  
disliked the senshi.... Well, at least those of her world. They  
  
were unnecessarily machiavellian beings who had seen the dissolution  
  
of the miko caste.... Of course, her bitterness was due mostly to  
  
the fact that she had been one of the serving miko at the time.  
  
After escaping the attempted roundup of the miko by the forces  
  
of the senshi and various courtesans, her name and face had been  
  
scattered throughout the kingdom. Wanted, for crimes against the   
  
state! As if the senshi had a even a fraction of moral   
  
responsibility left within them (not that she really had any, but   
  
that was another matter).   
  
Not a moment's rest did she have from the senshi, whose sole   
  
intention was to be her execution. The manipulative fingers of   
  
Chaos reaching into their minds. The kingdom was to soon die. She,   
  
however, did not.  
  
The benefits of prior-planning, of course. She had set up a  
  
small empire for herself back on Earth, under an assumed name. One  
  
whose power became essential in the final days of the kingdom, and  
  
one that had maintained a semblance of order in the aftermath of the  
  
collapse. A short-lived empire, however, for it collapsed itself   
  
and was swallowed up by others as soon as she chose to leave it.  
  
She had lived several lives since that time, and all   
  
proclaiming the same set of values she had always pushed - next to   
  
none. As the water miko of the second refrain, she represented the   
  
intellectual quotient of those whose concerns were almost entirely   
  
the body. She lived and breathed the powers, controls and structure   
  
of eroticism and emotionality.  
  
Where am I? Who am I? Why am I here? The three intellectual  
  
questions that the three water miko represented. And she had spent  
  
much of her many lives trying to answer that second question. Who  
  
was she? What was she? Whilst the other second refrain miko also  
  
pondered this question, only the water miko could truly find the  
  
answer, because water sat at the end of the refrain's portion of the  
  
miko circle. The answer comes here, so to speak.  
  
She shook herself. Enough of this self-interrogation, she had  
  
a job to do. She placed her left hand over the face of the girl and  
  
began to chant, softly, rising her face into the air in a kind of  
  
divine passion. Energy shot from her hand into the bands that   
  
crossed the girl's face, and the shell glowed.  
  
She stopped chanting suddenly, taking a deep, gasping breath  
  
as she moved back several feet from the girl, breathing heavily.  
  
Using her energy had always been murderous on her body. Not that it   
  
was unpleasant.... The expenditure of her miko powers generated   
  
immense pleasure. It was just that, the novelty tended to wear when   
  
one received too much of a good thing.  
  
She watched as the girl's eyes fluttered open, a silken senshi  
  
uniform appearing over her naked frame.... A kind of gossamyr skirt   
  
and top with suspended stockings and crystalline gloves and shoes.   
  
The woman scratched her nose and wondered who chose the designs for   
  
the uniforms of the senshi.... Slowly, the girl raised herself from   
  
the altar, leaning against one arm and blearily staring at her   
  
surroundings.  
  
"Wh... What? Where am I?" She sat up fully. "Is this...  
  
Is this my homeworld?" She looked up at the blue sun that peered  
  
through the high branches of the tree canopy.  
  
She then noticed the presence kneeling just to her right. She  
  
turned and gasped, placing a hand to her mouth. "Madame Scor... I  
  
mean... Arachne-sama... Is this really my home? Have I returned?"  
  
"Yes, Siren Charybdis, you have returned." Arachne smiled.  
  
----o  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
and again  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
And still the voices I can hear....  
  
----o  
  
Five figures flashed into existence in the front garden of the   
  
Mizuno residence. Despite it being the middle of the night, the   
  
garden was well-lit. This was mostly due to the fact that, above   
  
Tokyo hung a dimensional rift of truly unbelievable proportions.   
  
Certainly not one that the universii on either side had seen before.  
  
Akunatsuka stared up into the sky, his mouth hanging open with  
  
sheer disbelief. The avatar of his transportation, the Asteroid  
  
Senshi known simply as PalaPala, watched him with patent amusement.  
  
"What? Have you never seen dimensional rifts before?"  
  
"Please, PalaPala-san was it?" One of the three Usagi clones,  
  
who had, for some reason, decided to use the name Usako looked at  
  
the light-blue haired girl. "We are most inexperienced in these  
  
matters. I do not think it fair to criticise any of us for our   
  
ignorance."  
  
PalaPala stared at Usako.... An almost perfect copy of Usagi   
  
if one ignored the fact that both her manner and tone were totally  
  
the opposite. The tone of Usako easily suggested that she was not  
  
the sort to easily follow Pala's penchant for cruel humour. Indeed,  
  
the sort to chastise her for her attitude. Pala groaned and put a  
  
hand to her face.  
  
"Its a joke, Joyce. Jeez..."  
  
"Very funny, I'm sure." The second Usagi clone, a redhead  
  
with her hair tied back in a simple ponytail, dressed in the costume  
  
of the early Meiji era, with a cross-scar on her left cheek, said as  
  
she followed Akunatsuka's gaze, albeit with far less disbelief and  
  
wonderment. After all, Usashin, the name she had chosen for   
  
herself, had been cast from the universe on the other side of that  
  
rift in a blast she was amazed anyone survived.  
  
"Where are the others, different woman." The third Usagi   
  
clone, Aosagi, said in an arrogant tone that suggested total   
  
contempt for anyone who wasn't an Usagi. Dressed in a red ninja  
  
costume, covered with a large white coat, with her medium-cut hair  
  
tied back in a headband. She loomed up on Pala dangerously. From  
  
the expression on the girl's face, it didn't seem that the Asteroid  
  
Senshi's powers were of any concern to her, if it came to a fight   
  
between them.  
  
Of course, Pala was never one to put down an incipient fight.  
  
"There are some here already, dickhead. Try looking for yourself."   
  
Aosagi snarled in her face.  
  
"What did you call me, Different Bitch!?!"  
  
"Now now.... We don't want to start a fight. Fighting is   
  
bad." Usako stepped up beside them and placed her hands on their  
  
shoulders. Whilst this annoyed Pala, Aosagi deferred to her and  
  
turned away. Great, thought Pala, someone who won't listen to those  
  
who know what they're doing, but will listen to an airhead. Just  
  
what we need if we're really in a pinch.  
  
Pala was about to round on Usako when she heard another,   
  
equally soft and measured voice coming from behind her.  
  
"Now now, PalaPala. She has the best interests of the group  
  
at heart." Pala turned to see CereCere, JunJun and a somewhat   
  
disbelieving Makoto sitting beside the swimming pool in deckchairs.  
  
"I see you've set yourself up for a grand view of judgement   
  
day." Pala chuckled. Cere lifted a large cocktail that had been  
  
sitting on a small table next to her and gestured grandly.  
  
"The best view in the house." Said the maroon-red haired  
  
girl. Cere had changed from her flower-petal dress to a flower-  
  
petal bikini, and had her hair tied up as she was more accustomed,  
  
in elaborate rings and ribbons that resembled complex spaghetti   
  
architecture. JunJun, likewise, had her hair tied up in a three-  
  
tail pattern with rings running around the front like a semi-crown,  
  
although she had, at the very least, chosen something of greater  
  
practicality than a swimsuit to wear.  
  
Makoto, for her part, had not changed back from Jupiter.   
  
It had taken some time to calm her down after Cere had pulled her  
  
psycho act on her, threatening to kill Rikai and his detectives,  
  
and perhaps even Ami's mother, if they interfered in the "grand  
  
plan" the Asteroid's new boss had set up. In the meantime, they'd  
  
had to hide from the aforementioned detectives when they decided  
  
to make a reappearance after being transported across town, with  
  
their car, by one of Cere's spells.  
  
Much to Cere's annoyance, the detectives had decided to leave  
  
some uniformed officers to guard the scene. She quickly dispensed  
  
with them by sending them on a holiday to Hakodate. Well, it was  
  
the only place she could think of at the time.  
  
Makoto had been sitting, sulking, on the deckchair for some  
  
time, annoyed on occasion by the mindless chatter of her two   
  
companions. When the dimensional rift gave way, allowing hundreds  
  
of thousands of bodies to fall from the sky, the pair had cheered  
  
and danced all over the lawn, and proceeded to tank themselves  
  
with every alcoholic beverage they could find in the Mizuno's  
  
household. Considering the moneyed lifestyle Ami and her mother  
  
had become used to, they were drinking well.  
  
Makoto didn't feel like drinking, or cheering, or doing   
  
anything, basically. So different to last night, where she had  
  
made a pig-arse fool of herself when the senshi gathered to   
  
celebrate what they hoped would be their freedom from the deaths   
  
predicted by Setsuna's visions. But then, a lot had happened in the   
  
intervening 24 hours.  
  
Usagi, whom they had killed, to prevent her doing the same to  
  
them, had come back to life. Somehow. The woman who had explained  
  
this to them was currently floating in the Mizuno's swimming pool,  
  
as water, no less, along with Naru and Ami. She didn't understand   
  
the processes at work, but apparently, in the intoxicated state of   
  
mind Ami had been in after her mother had given her something to   
  
calm her down and let her get some rest, she had taken a swim, or   
  
tried to drown herself, Makoto wasn't sure, and somehow.... Her   
  
body melted into the water. Naturally, because Ami was a senshi   
  
with water-based powers, those powers fused with the element, and   
  
they became one.  
  
Now the woman, Kikotsuka Aoi, who also had been the police  
  
detective who'd headed up the investigation into Usagi's murder, had  
  
proven to have powers of a similar nature, from where, Makoto didn't  
  
know. One moment, the woman appeared to be a scared, ordinary human  
  
being, frightened by Usagi's resurrection after the girl had   
  
destroyed the station, killing many of those Aoi had worked with,  
  
the next they were face to face with a being of immense power and  
  
capacity to both command and confound. Not to mention the capacity  
  
to be extremely blunt, thoughtless and arrogant. But Makoto, who  
  
was used to the fight, had heard that kind of language before. The  
  
words of one who liked to prey on the minds of others... Thems  
  
were fightin' words and Makoto didn't like her very much.  
  
Then, this Aoi woman brings the Asteroid Senshi in to,   
  
virtually, replace the "unreliable" normal senshi, whilst she   
  
follows Ami in fusing herself with the water of the pool in an   
  
attempt to rescue the stupid girl lest her conciousness die within  
  
the water, dragging Naru (accidentally or deliberately, she wasn't  
  
sure) with her.  
  
On top of that, Chibiusa (why was she still Chibiusa when   
  
they'd killed Usagi? Although, clearly, Usagi wasn't quite so dead  
  
now) had turned into a human jellyfish, and was currently lying in  
  
the Mizuno's vegetable crisper in the hope that, if they ever get  
  
back the "essence" that had been removed from her body, they'd have  
  
something fresh to put it in. VesVes's idea, of course.  
  
But then, both Rei and VesVes had gone charging off somewhere  
  
for no readily apparent reason, shortly before both herself and Cere  
  
had their biffo session. She rubbed her chin.... Despite the   
  
girl's appearance, she packed a wallop behind those arms. It all  
  
made her wonder.... About the Asteroid senshi....  
  
Where the hell did they come from? As far as she knew, they  
  
had been sealed up in those crystals after they'd turned against   
  
their former master, only to be released as normal girls after   
  
Zirconia and Nephrenia were defeated (well, Zirconia anyway).  
  
At least, that was what she was sure of.... The universe had  
  
a tendency to laugh at its denizens. In many ways, the senshi were  
  
a form of cosmic joke.  
  
They were meant to defend all that was good, all that was   
  
right, but so often Makoto had felt like cannon fodder for Usagi  
  
when it came to the really big fights. She'd throw herself, and  
  
her life, away, just so Usagi could pull off an eleventh hour hero.  
  
And there was another thing.... Why was it really necessary  
  
for them to pull off these last-minute world saving routines? It  
  
had been that way, what with Beryl and her Generals (even though she   
  
had been dropped into that halfway through), the Black Moon Kingdom,  
  
Pharaoh 90, the Dead Moon Circus, Nephrenia and Galaxia with her  
  
Sailor Animates. Why was it they always seemed to let things run on  
  
for so long without taking these people to task earlier?  
  
She knew why. Real life would constantly get in the way.  
  
They weren't BORN to have real lives... Their lives were patently  
  
unreal, unnatural. At a time when they should have been studying  
  
and going through the usual bullshit of adolescence, they were  
  
running around like a pack or idiots in skimpy clothes, saving the  
  
world. And getting killed, occasionally.  
  
These thoughts ran through her head as the dimensional rift  
  
opened up and flowered into its full glory. And she only gave it  
  
the most cursory of glances. Of course, she thought, why should I  
  
be surprised? We've been lead a merry chase again, and here we are  
  
with the world, maybe even the universe at peril, again, with the  
  
expectation that we're going to use our bodies as human shields for  
  
yet another last-minute hero routine. Only problem was, this time,  
  
there was no Usagi to whap the enemy over the head with a mega   
  
spiral heart attack thingy after transforming into a chick in a  
  
short, skimpy dress with big wings sticking out the back. Not an   
  
Usagi likely to be so congenial, anyway. The sheer absurdity of it   
  
all had struck her. And coming face to face with not one, but   
  
three, Usagis was enough to send her over the edge.  
  
She began to laugh, falling off the deckchair and rolling over  
  
the ground. Well, at least that got the attention of all the   
  
others.  
  
"Told you she was a bit funny in the head." Cere poked her   
  
tongue out at Jun.  
  
"I didn't say she wasn't."  
  
"No, you just didn't want to compare her with us."  
  
"That's another one of the problems with these straight-laced  
  
inner senshi types.... They don't know how to carry themselves with  
  
decorum whilst going through a nervous breakdown." Pala joined her  
  
companions as the three Usagis and Akunatsuka stepped over to   
  
Makoto.  
  
"Are you alright, Mako-chan?" Usako said worriedly, holding  
  
her hands together nervously.  
  
"The girl has taken temporary leave of her senses. She shall  
  
recover in time." Usashin placed a hand on Usako's shoulder.  
  
"You're so sure of everything aren't you?" Aosagi sniffed  
  
with contempt. "As far as I'm concerned, the bitch was one of those  
  
responsible for killing the original Tsukino Usagi. She can lose  
  
her mind and rot in an asylum."  
  
"The powers she contains may be of use to us, especially in  
  
the killing of that beast that is rampaging through the village."  
  
"You call this a village?" Pala blinked at her.  
  
"The place of residence of many people is a village. It is  
  
only within the last few centuries that we have come to understand  
  
a place such as this as a city." Usashin looked up and around, at  
  
the many tall buildings that dotted the skyline. "This is the  
  
product of the efforts of many, not of just one. People have slaved  
  
against time, lack of finance and resources, corruption and   
  
criminality to make this place a worthy one for many, many people to  
  
live, since the days when it was called Edo. All of the world's  
  
great cities have been made with this intention. Not all have  
  
succeeded. Should we stand by and allow this to be destroyed by  
  
something that has but one desire, to kill and destroy?"  
  
Usashin's speech seemed to overcome everyone, even Makoto. It  
  
was as if the tone of her voice contained a power to move peoples'  
  
emotions.... Which unbeknownst to them, it did. Even though only  
  
one Usagi in the Eternal City had manifested the true powers of  
  
Sailormoon, that didn't mean all the others HADN'T shown powers of  
  
some form or another.  
  
Usashin turned to them. "I will die to defend this city and  
  
as many of those who live within it. With all the power I contain.  
  
I don't know about any of you....." She looked at Pala. "You, who  
  
seem overly preoccupied with playing games..." Cere. "You who are  
  
not in control of your emotions..." Jun. "You who should know   
  
better, but act as if you don't." Makoto. "You, who have betrayed  
  
everything you should have represented..." Aosagi. "You, who used  
  
to stand for a noble cause, but were corrupted..." Akunatsuka.   
  
"You who have allowed yourself to become cynical and distrusting...  
  
All of you... What are you going to do? Lie back on these chairs,  
  
drink alcohol and watch the city and all those lives being   
  
destroyed?" Usashin pulled her sword from its sheath. "There is  
  
only one amongst you who have been true to themselves." She turned  
  
to Usako. "Well, what are you going to do?"  
  
"Nobody must die.... Killing is bad. We must CREATE." Usako  
  
clasped her hands together. "I, too, will die to save this city."  
  
"What can SHE do?" Pala sneered. "She spends most of her   
  
time flouncing around, acting like a right proper Princess."  
  
There was a long silence after those words, as their meaning  
  
began to dawn on people. Except for Akunatsuka, who had no idea  
  
what was going on. He spent most of this time boggling over the  
  
fact that he'd come face to face with Sailor Jupiter having a   
  
nervous breakdown.  
  
----o  
  
The street was crowded with hundreds of panicked people. From  
  
all over the city they came, trying to escape the monstrosity that  
  
had appeared above them.  
  
It was a stampede, and riot, in one. The human mind, as   
  
arrogant and as self-satisfied as it can be has the capacity to  
  
completely lose all sense of proportion or reality when coming face  
  
to face with something that is beyond its understanding. The   
  
dimensional rift was just the kind of thing to achieve this on a   
  
grand scale, and despite the attempts by the JSDF to regain some  
  
semblance of social order, even many of those who served with it had  
  
been panicked. Things were starting to look very nasty, indeed.  
  
It was in the midst of this, off to one side of the street,  
  
that three figures appeared in mid-air and landed very heavily on  
  
their butts. Hotaru, now a woman of impressive stature, dressed in   
  
a black minidress that, for some reason, had replaced her usual senshi   
  
fuku, made little noises of pain and felt someone leaning behind her,   
  
making similar noises.  
  
"Are you alright, Neptune? Pluto?"  
  
"I will be if this pain stops shooting up and down my spine."  
  
Hotaru turned to her left and saw Michiru, clenching her teeth, with  
  
her eyes screwed shut and watering.  
  
"I take it you landed on your tailbone, too?"  
  
"No shit, Sherlock." Michiru leaned forward, rubbing her   
  
back. Hotaru let out a deep breath and turned to her left, where  
  
she heard Setsuna moaning.  
  
"And you, Pluto? Are you alright?"  
  
"Why in hell did we land here?" Michiru interrupted another  
  
moan from Setsuna, staring around as people charged in every   
  
direction, mostly towards the next intersection. There were so many  
  
people on foot that cars were finding it next to impossible to move.  
  
Hotaru nodded, following Michiru's gaze up and down the street. If  
  
anyone HAD noticed their unusual arrival and appearance, they   
  
weren't showing it.  
  
"I was right, the dimensional rift DID cause massive panic."  
  
"Gomen.... I didn't think about this at the time." Hotaru  
  
looked sheepish. The dimensional rift was, of course, partly her  
  
fault, after performing her Death Reborn Revolution attack within  
  
the alternate universe above. The reasons for going that far...  
  
Well, they were monumentally complex, and had a great deal to do  
  
with the Eternal City choosing her to eradicate the Destroyers,  
  
huge black marbled dirigibles that floated through the sky, blasting  
  
vast beams of multicoloured energy at the city in an effort,   
  
naturally as their name suggests, to destroy it.  
  
"Don't worry about it now. Its done. What worries me more is  
  
the city itself. Its regenerating pretty quickly, and it doesn't  
  
look like its gonna stop with its own universe." Michiru pointed  
  
upwards. The city had almost completely covered the bare surface of  
  
the world within the alternate universe with its fine lattice of   
  
buildings, streets and other infrastructure, and it was reaching  
  
down through the rift with long tendrils that looked like gigantic  
  
upside-down skyscrapers.  
  
"What is it going to do, try to grow itself on our world?"   
  
Hotaru frowned.  
  
"I get the impression that is precisely its current plan."   
  
Michiru gritted her teeth as Setsuna groaned again. Suddenly, a  
  
thought came to Michiru.... It was Setsuna who had been   
  
transporting them in the first place. She thought she heard a cry  
  
of pain when one of the JSDF soldiers let off a couple of rounds at  
  
the top of the building which had been at the epicentre of the rift.  
  
Michiru turned and saw, to her horror, that Setsuna was clutching  
  
at her belly, blood running freely from two great wounds.  
  
"SETSUNA!!!" Michiru spun around and took Setsuna in her   
  
arms. Hotaru, hearing Michiru's cry, spun and saw Setsuna's state.  
  
"Oh no... No no no no no." Hotaru put her hands to her face,  
  
shaking her head. Michiru tried to get through to Setsuna, tapping  
  
her face with her hand.  
  
"Setsuna, are you still with us? Setsuna?" Setsuna let out  
  
a soft moan. "Oh Kami-sama, what are we gonna do?"  
  
Hotaru shuddered... "I'm going to try my healing powers. It  
  
may not work... I've used up so much of my energy already." Hotaru  
  
lowered her hands and placed them slightly over Setsuna's wounds,   
  
trying to ignore the gruesome, sticky wet sensation of her blood.  
  
Michiru stared at her as if she were mad. "But you haven't  
  
exercised those powers in ages. You don't know what might happen."  
  
"Its worth a try. With wounds like that, I'm DAMNED sure that  
  
Setsuna won't see through the next ten minutes." Hotaru   
  
concentrated, gritting her teeth. Energy seemed to run between   
  
herself and Setsuna, and it horrified Michiru to see just how pale  
  
she was getting.  
  
But it was having desired effect. There was a squelching   
  
sound, and the fragments of shell casing oozed out from the wounds.   
  
Then the wounds themselves started to heal from within, flesh   
  
reforming within her wounded insides, extending outwards. By this  
  
time, however, Hotaru was shaking and sweating profusely. Michiru  
  
considered whether it was worth saving one only to have another die.  
  
Hotaru ended it, falling forward after letting out a short   
  
squeal. "I can't.... Not anymore... Completely drained. Powers  
  
all gone. Have to... regenerate." Hotaru's dress was replaced by  
  
her normal street clothes, which were much the same colour, proof  
  
enough for Michiru that she could no longer hold out.  
  
Michiru looked back at Setsuna, who was still out of it,   
  
mumbling to herself. It seemed her body had gone into shock   
  
regardless of whether Hotaru lessened the load of the injury. The  
  
wounds themselves were nothing more than serious welts now, still   
  
bleeding, but not with the same ferocity they did before.  
  
Hotaru sat up. "How is she?"  
  
"It certainly looks better, although that's a relative term,  
  
I don't think she's likely to be doing any marathons in the next few   
  
weeks."  
  
"I'll be able to deal with that, as soon as my power gets back  
  
up to speed." Hotaru looked around at the panic. "We can't move   
  
her out with things like this, though. We're going to have to use   
  
transportation powers."  
  
"How? Neither of us can use transportation, and the pair of   
  
us don't have enough energy for a teleport."  
  
"Energy transposition. My powers are depleted, but Pluto's   
  
aren't. Her body is incapacitated, but mine isn't."  
  
"Energy transposition? How does one do that?"  
  
"Its easy if you have half of your memories of your past life  
  
unlocked. Its amazing what thinking you're going to die will do to  
  
your state of mind."  
  
"I've died once or twice. They never came back to me."  
  
"You had other things on your mind, baka." Hotaru sniffed.   
  
"And don't think I've forgotten what you did to me when you went   
  
over to Galaxia's side that time...."  
  
"Aww, will you just get over it. Haruka and I told you it was  
  
part of a plan...."  
  
"One that failed."  
  
Michiru huffed sulkily. Hotaru smiled and stood, and chanted  
  
a spell. Within seconds, her clothes changed to a dark green   
  
minidress with a black and scarlet ribbon. Hotaru looked at  
  
herself. "Hmm.... Seems this malaise with my senshi uniform is not  
  
confined to my own."  
  
"Maybe that's how they're supposed to look." Michiru stared  
  
at her. Hotaru shrugged.  
  
"I dunno. It always seemed somewhat strange to me that our  
  
senshi uniforms were seemingly modelled on the sailor fukus of   
  
Japanese schoolgirls."  
  
"Maybe a warped interpretation, through our memories, of what  
  
they're supposed to look like, utilising something we're more used  
  
to seeing and wearing."  
  
"Maybe. Although, one has to admit, the further along the  
  
road we travel in our understanding of our powers, the less they   
  
seem to appear like the traditional fuku."  
  
A tiara appeared on Hotaru's forhead... Far more ornate than  
  
the traditional senshi tiara... This one was emblazoned with   
  
symbols that Michiru hadn't seen before. Hotaru touched the tiara  
  
and nodded. "It seems, even with my level of development now, I  
  
haven't quite reached as far as I expected. I certainly didn't have  
  
a tiara like this."  
  
"Maybe its specific to Pluto?"  
  
"I don't think so, although it does seem an effective avatar  
  
for the enforcement of her time powers."  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
"I just slowed everyone down to half speed by accident, just   
  
by thinking about it."  
  
Michiru turned back to the street. She thought things had  
  
sounded somewhat drawled. Everyone was now panicking on valium. It  
  
suited Michiru just fine.  
  
"Hmm? You like it this way?" Hotaru looked at Michiru. She  
  
turned to her and flashed her surprise.  
  
"Uh, sorry. My psychic powers have returned to full capacity.  
  
I'm still trying to shield my thoughts and feelings."  
  
Hotaru shrugged and reached forward. From her hand, a large  
  
staff appeared, eventually tapering off into the double-blade of  
  
her glaive. Then it shimmered, and the end of the glaive was   
  
replaced with the rings of a priest's staff and flourished with what  
  
appeared to be the Garnet Orb.  
  
"Hell, I thought that was trashed."  
  
"About as much as my glaive. As I said, I was keeping it   
  
until I needed it."  
  
"You didn't say that, Setsuna did."  
  
"Then why mention it? Uh... She did?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Oh dear.... I forgot some memories come with the   
  
transposition.... Oh well. Now I have an excuse for being obscure   
  
for a while." Hotaru grinned. She then closed her eyes and began  
  
to chant something as she gripped the Time Key. In an instant, they  
  
disappeared from sight, with only a stray dog as their witness.  
  
----o  
  
It had been a rather interesting experience, at least she   
  
could say that if nothing else. Lying naked in the same bed with  
  
another woman.... Uh, girl.... Whatever the case may be. She  
  
wondered why Tranquility's emotions had taken over.. Taken control  
  
of the situation. Barf. Jokes at a time like this weren't   
  
appropriate. Should she believe Naiad that she loved her more than  
  
Astute? And just what the hell was she wondering this for? Naru  
  
wasn't into girls. She couldn't believe Tranquility was. This  
  
really COULDN'T have been her former life. But then, it did explain  
  
why the memories about the depth of the relationship between both  
  
Naiad and herself had been suppressed. Probably to hide the shock.  
  
It also explained, partly, why she felt such a sense of betrayal  
  
when she caught Naiad and Astute together.  
  
And so she lay back, with a sleeping Naiad next to her,   
  
staring at the ceiling, wondering how to explain all this to Guri-  
  
chan if she ever bumped into him again. At least the darkness of  
  
night helped to suppress her emotions somewhat.  
  
Not entirely, though, she sat up, swinging her legs over the  
  
side of the bed. She could hear sounds from other rooms in the vast  
  
dormitory. Music, televids and the general hooha that would go on  
  
with young ladies in their mid to late teens. She wondered, with  
  
some embarassment, if anyone had heard the pair of them, but decided  
  
things had been noisy enough elsewhere. She stood and stepped into  
  
the neighbouring bathroom.  
  
She closed the door and the light came on automatically. She  
  
was surprised, somewhat, by her appearance. She most certainly   
  
looked like her, this Tranquility. Although, despite the fact that  
  
Naru was at least 2 years older, Tranquility looked far more   
  
developed, more mature.... It made Naru jealous. She shook her  
  
head a moment. Stop thinking inane thoughts, airhead, she muttered  
  
to herself.  
  
She touched the mirror, and found it stirring like water. She  
  
shook her head again.... What was it about water, about the colour   
  
blue, that seemed to motivate Naiad so much?  
  
After being sucked in to the pool, Naru had become caught up  
  
in the memories of the Miko of Water, third refrain. This basically  
  
meant that Naiad's position was similar to that of Pisces on the  
  
western Zodiac wheel. Although such definitions were a modern   
  
astrological translation, and therefore bore no meaning to the   
  
original circle of the Miko caste.  
  
For some reason, Naiad had become caught up in Naru's own   
  
memories of a previous life, as Tranquility, the succeeding second  
  
candidate Queen who ruled the Moon Kingdom before the reign of the  
  
last Queen Serenity. Naiad seemed unaware of what was going on, or  
  
was as unable to control what she was doing as Naru had been over  
  
the last couple of hours. That was definitely a possibility.  
  
There was even a greater possibility.... In her attempt to  
  
understand who it was she had encountered, she'd melded her mind   
  
with Naiad's, a trick Naiad had taught Tranquility (it was the only   
  
way she would have known how to do it.... there was certainly no   
  
such tricks on Tranquility's curriculum in the Academy).  
  
These memories she was encountering... Were supposed to be a  
  
combination of both Naiad's and her own memories, yet she seemed  
  
strangely removed from Naiad's interpretation of events. The whole  
  
purpose had been to reveal what it was that made Naiad tick, yet she  
  
had learnt more in this time about Tranquility than she had about  
  
Naiad. It made her wonder if Naiad was simply leading her on....  
  
To some realisation.... Of what, she didn't know. All she could  
  
work out was that Naiad had an obsession with working through the  
  
minds of others, trying to... Raise their conciousness, of who they  
  
are, or were, and what the purpose is in their existence.  
  
Then there was Ami. Yet another spirit with water-based   
  
powers. They had come in search of Ami, yet her appearances had   
  
been nothing more than spectral.... What the hell was SHE doing?  
  
If they didn't do something soon, there was a possibility that her  
  
conciousness may die within the avatar of the water they had melded  
  
with. And theirs with her, if they didn't get out soon enough.  
  
But then, both Naru and Naiad had been in here for a while,   
  
now, and there didn't seem to be anything happening to suggest that  
  
something bad was about to happen to the both of them.  
  
Thus, the mirror spoke.  
  
Naiad, being punished for her relationship with Astute.   
  
Punished was a light term, really. She was being beaten, tortured.   
  
One from such a lowly position does not fraternise with the   
  
establishment.  
  
Naru sank into the mirror. She stood, being held back by   
  
prefects, crying and screaming at the headmaster and the other heads  
  
of faculties as Naiad was kicked and beaten viciously... Brutally.  
  
"RULE! One from such a lowly position does not fraternise   
  
with the establishment." Barked the Headmaster. "RULE! One does  
  
not attempt to leave the grounds of the Academy until one has   
  
completed the curriculum. RULE! One must obey the codes of   
  
interpersonal conduct between students whilst they are here. Sexual  
  
relationships with others, be they male or female, are NOT allowed."  
  
They stopped. Naru ceased her tantrum enough to realise that  
  
they were in front of an assembly in the main hall. She turned   
  
aside to see Astute, his head hanging sadly. On the other side were  
  
the student body. She searched for Hecate... Setsuna. But she  
  
couldn't find the girl. She turned back to see the Headmaster, now  
  
standing in her face.  
  
"As for you, you are a shame to your position." He slapped  
  
her viciously. Naru let out a short cry. "Just ONE chance. That  
  
is all you get here. Are you so keen to destroy that opportunity?"  
  
He slapped her across the other side of the face.  
  
What the hell happened here, she thought? Why is this   
  
happening?  
  
She saw herself, Naiad and Astute attempting to escape from  
  
the Academy grounds.... Through the west fence. They were being  
  
pursued, by prefects and guard dogs... Well, what could be   
  
described as dogs.  
  
It had been Naiad's idea. She was the one who really wanted  
  
out, and only two knew of her intentions.... Astute and   
  
Tranquility. And they both decided to follow her.  
  
It was a mistake, of course. Nobody was likely to miss three  
  
students the standard of Naiad, Tranquility and Astute. Especially  
  
Astute.... He was the second son of one of the High Lords,   
  
currently the most privileged student at the Academy. Naru wondered  
  
why he had chosen to go with them, to follow Naiad's crazy plan.  
  
But maybe that was the point... All three had, basically, done  
  
whatever they were told to do all through their lives. This was an  
  
opportunity to make a mark for themselves.  
  
Not a very smart one. Astute had been caught only hours after  
  
their attempt. Tranquility, herself, had lost the both of them and   
  
wandered the countryside aimlessly for days before being picked up  
  
by the Headmaster himself.  
  
Most of their punishment had been meted out. Slowly, over the  
  
space of weeks. Then they caught Naiad, and decided that, with her,  
  
they could get away with a beating in front of the Assembly. Her   
  
family would not complain. They were not important enough to matter  
  
to the position concious members of the Academy.  
  
And that made Naru as mad as hell. So when the Headmaster   
  
slapped her for her tantrum during Naiad's punishment session, she  
  
lost it.  
  
And Tranquility came out. The Queen herself. It stunned the  
  
Headmaster, prefects, heads of faculty and students. One moment,  
  
she was Naru, being held by two prefects in an armlock. The next,  
  
she stood before them in the full ceremonial robes of Tranquility,  
  
easily shaking off the grip of the stunned prefects.  
  
"Now you listen to ME!" She barked.  
  
Both Astute and Naiad stared at her in stunned disbelief.  
  
"Naru... Don't..." Naiad croaked, lying on the floor, trying  
  
to lift herself up as blood ran from cuts all over. Tranquility  
  
stared at her with half-amused contempt.  
  
"I'm Tranquility when I'm Naru, but I'm Naru when I'm   
  
Tranquility, is that it?" She chuckled bitterly. "I've had enough  
  
of this. These memories... Their lies and half-truths."  
  
"All this is the truth." Astute stood beside her. "There are  
  
no lies to memory when they are this strong."  
  
"Be SILENT!" Tranquility waved at Astute. He bowed and stood  
  
back. She then turned to the Headmaster. "Slap my face, will you?"  
  
She lifted up the flat of her hand, and belted the Headmaster   
  
heavily across the chops. He fell back, staggering to the floor.  
  
She pushed everyone aside as she strode over to Naiad. The   
  
girl stared up at her, not knowing what to say as Tranquility   
  
reached down for her hand. "Here. We are leaving."  
  
Naiad took her hand. And they left.  
  
The both of them escaped the Academy. Naiad spent several  
  
years alone, on the run, looking to find meaning in her life.   
  
Eventually, during a visit to one of the towns she had lived in,  
  
by the mikotai, her powers were detected by the reigning third   
  
refrain miko of water, and she was taken in as a protege.  
  
Tranquility returned to her ancestral home, and endured the  
  
contempt shown to her by her family, friends and the hierachy.   
  
Despite what she had done, she had passed the examinations for the  
  
Alternative Candidate with flying colours. Higher by ten percent  
  
than anyone else. They had no choice but to give her the position.  
  
And she became Queen, upon the First Candidate's failiure to  
  
live up to her responsibilities. And the first thing she did as  
  
Queen was remove the controlling board of the Academy and replace it  
  
with one she found more.... congenial.  
  
Naru staggered back from the mirror.... Well, that was a   
  
nicely abbreviated lifetime. Pity both their lives had been so   
  
short. Almost as soon as she had become miko, Naiad committed  
  
suicide, and Tranquility followed suit, unable to take the loss of  
  
her old.... ah.... friend.  
  
She heard movement from the bedroom outside the bathroom door.  
  
"Tranquility?" Came Naiad's tired voice. "Where are you?"  
  
"Just in the bathroom, Nai."  
  
"Well don't be too long. The bed is getting cold."  
  
Naru sighed. How was she going to bring this scenario to a  
  
close before these predicted events occured. It seemed that, if  
  
they were to go on this way, the pair of them WOULD die.... They   
  
would both fulfill their destiny to suicide.  
  
And she wanted to end it before she had to... With Naiad,  
  
again, do THAT. Then something occured to her.... She opened the   
  
door and stepped into the bedroom.  
  
"Naiad...." She said softly. The girl had been turned away   
  
from her, and hmmmed in response. Naru paused for a few moments.  
  
"Can you end this, please? I don't want to follow these memories,  
  
anymore...."  
  
Naiad turned and looked at her strangely. "What did you say?"  
  
"Don't try and hide it from me. That vision, just then....   
  
You called me Naru. You knew I was Naru, yet the name Naru was not  
  
bestowed upon me until the birth of my current life...." Naru shook  
  
her head. "You've been leading me on all this time."  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Tranquility. Have  
  
you been sleepwalking again?" The tone was so convincing, Naru   
  
almost believed it.  
  
"Enough! You've spent long enough getting me to examine my  
  
inner self. All these worlds and realities you've created for me,  
  
making me believe I was examining you. You've lead me a merry dance   
  
for long enough."  
  
"Alright, what is it this time? Are you still angry about  
  
what went on between Astute and myself?"  
  
Naru gritted her teeth. "Stop it! Stop acting as if you  
  
don't know what I'm talking about."  
  
"I'm sorry, Tranqs. I really have no idea. What realities  
  
are you talking about?"  
  
"I am NOT Tranquility!"  
  
"Eh?" Naiad frowned at her.  
  
"I am not Tranquility, and you know it. You're just hoping  
  
that I may be, because I look like her. You're hoping that, by  
  
dragging me through all this, you'll somehow recreate her. Make me  
  
her. But I am not her. I am Osaka Naru! Do you understand that?"  
  
"Na...ru..." Naiad's face screwed up and twisted. "You are  
  
Osaka... Naru..." For a moment, Naiad seemed confused with the  
  
concept, as if it meant something to her in a distant way. Then her  
  
expression changed again. "I really have no idea what you're   
  
talking about, Tranqs. You sound like you've been having those   
  
strange dreams again...."  
  
Naru could have screamed. "I AM NOT TRANQUILITY!"  
  
"Well, who the hell are you then? Eh?" Naiad gritted her  
  
teeth, getting angry. "Don't shout so loud. People will hear you."  
  
"They don't exist. None of this does."  
  
"It does to her, in a technical manner." It was another   
  
voice. Naru turned to one side and saw Ami standing by the door to   
  
the room.  
  
"A... Ami?" Naru croaked.  
  
"Miste Kiele?" She heard Naiad say from the bed. Ami smiled  
  
and stepped forward.  
  
"Have you seen enough, Naru? Enough to know that everything  
  
you see is a construct?"  
  
"What are you talking about?" Naru demanded  
  
"Miste Kiele. Aren't you supposed to be studying within the  
  
Palace for the position of the Mercury senshi?" Naiad got up from  
  
the bed, dragging some of the bedclothes with her.  
  
"Miste Kiele.... I seem to remember that name. It could be  
  
mine. I think I was Mercury three times during my lives. Whether  
  
or not I was ever her is open to question."  
  
"Ami..." Naru said softly. "Is this... Did you create all  
  
this?" Ami smiled at her, then looked tired.  
  
"I think I did. I'm not sure. Something to do with the   
  
sharing of elemental powers. It makes as much sense to me as it  
  
would to you. I'm not really sure what is going on, I just remember  
  
being fused with both her and you...."  
  
Naiad rubbed her head a moment. "How did you do this? Catch  
  
me unawares like that? I thought I was the only one capable of  
  
doing that."  
  
"I see you're returning to your senses now." Ami smiled at  
  
her. "How does it feel, to be made to examine your inner self,   
  
Naiad?"  
  
Naru turned to Naiad, then back to Ami. "You're trying to  
  
tell me she really didn't know what was going on?"  
  
"Oh, she knew. She realised that she was reliving her former  
  
life. Its just that, like these past few hours with yourself, she  
  
was unable to do anything about it. I had to do that with her.  
  
Unlike you, she would not have tolerated being taken for a ride."  
  
Naru quivered. "But... You? Put me through that? Why?"  
  
"I am a water senshi. I exist to serve the ways of the   
  
element." She chuckled to herself. "If this makes me look like   
  
Naiad, then the perception is true. Miste Kiele was very much like  
  
Naiad Keth Drutein."  
  
Naiad sneered. "So what went wrong with this life, Miste?   
  
Did you play the wallflower out of some great fear of perpetuating   
  
the last one's mistakes?"  
  
"I got a life, that's what happened." Ami shot back. "Unlike   
  
others, who spend all their time puppeteering from limbo."  
  
"You have no right to lecture me on my behaviour. The only  
  
difference between us is that I chose to die. You continued with  
  
your manipulations well past the reign of Tranquility. Both   
  
yourself and Thyde Luciere."  
  
"And I'm supposed to be moved by your decision to suicide? I  
  
died attempting to defend the Kingdom."  
  
"Stop it, both of you!" Naru had had enough of this. "Ami,  
  
what is the purpose of all this? Do all of you who are born to the  
  
element of water behave this way?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"It can't be helped." Naiad responded for Ami. Naru turned  
  
to Naiad.  
  
"Why? What is the point?"  
  
"There is no point." Naru turned back to Ami, who was now   
  
hugging herself. "We're all caught up in the mind. It fascinates  
  
us. Guides us throughout every stage of our being, even in the  
  
moments between our lives."  
  
"Giving us a contempt for those who act without thinking."   
  
Naiad continued.  
  
"Giving us a contempt for the physical." Ami gritted her  
  
teeth. "Oh how I despise the physical world. It was so hard,   
  
having to relate to everyone, and constantly making mistakes. The  
  
great lie of common social behaviour.... Meant only for those  
  
without the capacity to think for themselves. I hated Usagi...   
  
Rei... Minako... None of them displayed the capacity for the kind  
  
of emotional introspection I desired. Maybe Makoto understood."  
  
"Despite everything, the Jupiter senshi is given much of her  
  
powers from the element of the Earth. She has to. As a member of  
  
the inner senshi quartet, she represents Earth, as you do water, as  
  
Rei does fire and as Minako does Air." Naiad sniffed. "I always  
  
found it amusing that the Air senshi were the nominal leaders of  
  
their refrains."  
  
Ami smiled bitterly. "Is that what you believe?"  
  
"I said nominal. That doesn't mean they ever used these   
  
titles."  
  
Ami sighed.  
  
Naru stared at them both. "I don't understand. Why are you  
  
arguing these points at a time like this? Ami, we have to leave  
  
this place, all three of us. We have to unfuse ourselves from the  
  
water lest we die."  
  
Ami shook her head. "I am not leaving."  
  
"Wh... why? Do you want to die?" Naru stared at her in   
  
disbelief.  
  
"I don't care. I don't care if I die, or if you die."  
  
Ami put her hands out, gesturing towards Naru and Naiad.  
  
"I'm not letting either of you go. I want to play with you  
  
for just a little longer." She leered at Naru, who stepped back  
  
towards Naiad.  
  
"Don't be too sure, Miste..." Naiad waved a hand at Ami as  
  
the young senshi shot off what appeared to be a spell. Two energy   
  
beams struck with equal force, blowing the reality away from them,   
  
and they tumbled into a maelstrom. Naru screamed out loud as she   
  
entered the eye of the storm, and everything went dark....  
  
----o  
  
Madame Scorpia was most disappointed. After inviting Usagi   
  
and the Animates to join her for dinner at seven that evening, they   
  
had failed to show by the time it had turned eight thirty. So much   
  
for thinking they were being fashionably late.  
  
She sat at the main table in the Tudor Function room at the  
  
hotel she owned. A large room, decorated in red and gold. Well,   
  
whatever it was named, it was certainly a grand room. So big   
  
that she couldn't see the tables at the other end. And tonight, all   
  
were used by a plethora of guests. A little function in the   
  
name of the local Governor's re-election campaign. Two nights from   
  
now, she'd hold a similar gathering of members from the opposition   
  
party. She liked to have all bases covered.  
  
She'd built up this tiny little empire for herself over a   
  
number of years, having to deal with the local powerbrokers in the   
  
usual fashion.... bribery and corruption, to simply get such an   
  
establishment off the ground.  
  
The rich and powerful would travel from all over the Kingdom  
  
to party at Madame Scorpia's. And very few ever recognised her.   
  
Not the way she looked today. Most remembered her as the laissez-  
  
faire intellectual amongst the mikotai. She had bedded more members   
  
of the establishment than any other woman in a position of power,   
  
and not a single one of them were allowed to think any lower of her   
  
for doing it. Ah the joys of office. Pity those days were over.  
  
Once that damned fool, Naiad Keth Drutein, chose to suicide,  
  
taking the Queen Tranquility with her in the poor girl's grief, the  
  
mikotai was at an end. The replacement Queen, Serenity, was   
  
fervently anti-miko, guided much by the motivations of the senshi  
  
and the High Lords and Ladies of the Palace Court. And with only  
  
11 miko still serving, she chose that time to rout the established  
  
branch of the Church of the Empire.  
  
Madame Scorpia shook her head. It would be the downfall of   
  
the Kingdom, of course. Now the link to the Homeworld was broken.   
  
Galaxia had fallen, taking with her the fragile bonds that tied  
  
together the Empire. Without the miko, the Kingdom would collapse.  
  
Each Kingdom required the services of both the clergy and the   
  
military. Without one, the other would not be able to stand up  
  
against the forces of Chaos that threatened all.  
  
There were rumours of war right at this very moment. Rumours  
  
that would have been proven as fact a LONG time ago had the miko  
  
still been serving. Madame Scorpia could see it happening even as   
  
she set up her "business", and knew that the fate of the Kingdom now  
  
rested in her hands. Pity it took such underhanded methods to  
  
provide the stability the remnants of the Kingdom would require.  
  
But then, moral requirements were never high on her list of   
  
priorities, so she ignored them.  
  
"Mistral...." She snapped her fingers at her personal   
  
servant, who stood a short distance behind her. He stepped forward,  
  
bowing to her.  
  
"Yes Madame?" He looked at her curiously.  
  
"You did give these girls a proper invitation, did you not?"  
  
"I did my best, Madame. I can check to see if they've   
  
accepted. They could have stopped in the lobby. I'm sure the bar  
  
there might have been to their tastes."  
  
She shrugged. "Easy come, easy go, Mistral. There is only  
  
the one of them I am vaguely interested in."  
  
He nodded at her. "Yes ma'am, I understand very much."  
  
"Perhaps inviting them was the wrong thing to do." She smiled  
  
at the Governor, who was seated at the opposite end of her table,   
  
after he proposed a toast to her health. She raised her glass in  
  
acknowledgement as those around her lifted theirs, nodding at her.  
  
As they downed the drinks and demanded more from the waiters,  
  
she moved closer aside Mistral. "I think force might have been a  
  
better instrument to get that girl, don't you?"  
  
Mistral smiled and nodded. "I did check with the owners of  
  
the Bed and Breakfast where the girls are staying. They aren't  
  
expecting to move out for a while yet."  
  
She nodded and took a swig of wine from her glass. "Then I  
  
suggest, Mistral, that these girls are going to make a moonlight  
  
flit from their place of accomadation due to their inability to pay.  
  
You know how girls like they can be when it comes to money."  
  
"Even though they say they are... women of independent means?"  
  
She shrugged. "Independent or not, it can be dangerous for  
  
young women to travel these lands alone."  
  
Mistral bowed to his Mistress and disappeared through the main  
  
doors of the room.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi awoke to find herself lying in the main bed of the room  
  
she and her travelling companions, the Animates, had chosen in the  
  
little Bed and Breakfast at the edge of town. It was dark and she  
  
could hear the televid playing in the background, flashing an  
  
occasional ghostly light across the ceiling. Her eyes fluttered as  
  
she tried to focus on her situation. All she knew was that she was  
  
partly unclothed, and that someone was sitting next to her.  
  
She looked up and let out a small gasp. Next to her sat   
  
Siren. Not just Siren, but Sailor Aluminium Siren, in her gossamyr  
  
senshi uniform. The last time Usagi had seen her dressed this way,  
  
she was attempting to kill everyone on a plane flight in honour of  
  
the Three Lights... The Starlights, as it eventually turned out.  
  
This very fact was enough to make her momentarily recoil.  
  
Siren turned to her with surprise. "Ah, you're awake now. I  
  
suppose that's good." She huffed.  
  
"What happened?" Usagi croaked as she attempted to sit up,  
  
holding her aching head for a few seconds.  
  
"You passed out. Dunno why. Crow said its probably got   
  
something to do with your 'vision thingies'. Well, we stuck you in  
  
bed and called a doctor. He said you'd be alright, so we left you  
  
to sleep things off. That good enough a recap of events?"  
  
"Uhh... Yeah." Usagi managed to sit up and stared at the  
  
strange screen. "Hmm... Looks like a television."  
  
"It is a television. And let me tell you, things in your time  
  
were an improvement on the entertainment they provide now. Aquius  
  
help me if they ever show another advertisement for Crystal   
  
Megastores again. I just can't stand that guy they use..." She  
  
screwed up her nose and put on a voice. "Where d'ya get it?   
  
Crystal Megastores, for the cheapest in bargains!" She put a finger  
  
up to her mouth and made a gagging noise. Usagi giggled.  
  
"The more things change, the more they stay the same."  
  
Siren smiled cynically and looked back at the screen. "You  
  
know, I had to sit here and watch this crap cos of you?"  
  
"Eh? Why?"  
  
"Cos Crow and Nyanko the wanko wouldn't leave you here alone  
  
whilst they went trotting off to that Scorpia's place. So guess who  
  
pulled the short straw?"  
  
"Er, sorry."  
  
"Don't be. I'm glad I didn't have to go there. I hate places  
  
like that. Worked in too many of them to want to go back."  
  
Usagi looked at her for a few moments as Siren's face went   
  
dark. She let out a sigh and looked back at Usagi, the normal   
  
expression of bitterness returning.  
  
"So, these visions. What is it exactly that you see?"  
  
"Uhh... I see the other Earth senshi, being killed, or in a  
  
state of dying, or already dead."  
  
Siren chuckled. "Good. Let them suffer a bit for what   
  
they've done to you."  
  
"How can you say that? You were trying to kill them not so   
  
long ago. They were innocent of anything then."  
  
Siren shook her head. "Oh little Princess, you'll never   
  
understand anything. We have, all of us senshi, miko and royalty,   
  
lived previous lives where we have done things that are both evil  
  
and repugnant. None of us are born innocent. The only innocence  
  
we carry is the removal of the memories of those past lives. Once  
  
they have returned, we return to the normal, sullied selves that we  
  
have always been."  
  
"Yeah, what you said." Usagi wiped her nose. "I take it the  
  
way you treated that Mistral guy was partly to do with memories of  
  
your past lives? The contempt, I mean."  
  
Siren snorted. "Yeah, right. As if we needed the experience  
  
of past lives to divine a sleaze when he makes his presence felt."  
  
Siren screwed up her face. "I hate men, okay. I've always hated  
  
them and will always hate them. Occasionally I fall for one, but in  
  
the main, I desire to return to the natural state of my people,   
  
devoid of this pathetic duality of male and female. It only ever  
  
leads to problems."  
  
Usagi looked at her with wide eyes. "A pathetic duality of  
  
male and female? What were your people?" Usagi was almost afraid  
  
to ask.  
  
"We were hermaphrodites. Both sexes in one. A biological  
  
system that worked fine until the invaders came."  
  
"The invaders?"  
  
"The Empire. The ones who created the Moon Kingdom in your  
  
system. They call themselves the 'Colonists'. They breed with the  
  
most promising form of intelligent life they can find, and make  
  
that race part of their own." Siren smiled as Usagi opened her  
  
mouth in obvious non-comprehension. "In other words, girl, they  
  
turned your monkey species into what you are today by crossbreeding  
  
with you. You are a halfbreed. We are all halfbreeds, even   
  
Galaxia. Now, only a select few remain in the form of the original  
  
invaders."  
  
"And what did they look like?"  
  
"Beautiful in a macabre way. Serpentine, yet mammalian. They  
  
had an exquisitely beautiful appearance. The most beautiful aspects  
  
of our species come from them. And so do the uglier aspects."  
  
All kinds of Gigerian nightmares filled Usagi's head at that  
  
point, and she shivered. "Have you ever seen one for yourself?"  
  
"Have I ever seen one? Dearie, we WERE them at one point, in  
  
several of our early lives. The spirits that make us senshi and  
  
divide us from the little people are those of the original invaders.  
  
Its the ultimate irony, I suppose. I desire to return to the oceans  
  
of what I consider to be 'my' world, and yet I know the spirit that  
  
resides within me can find its true home under the twin suns of the  
  
Empire's homeworld." Siren sighed and shook her head.  
  
A commercial started to play on the televid.  
  
"WHERE D'YA GET IT? AT CRYSTAL MEGASTORES...."  
  
"Barf!" Siren picked up a remote from the bedside table and  
  
switched the vid off. "That's fixed that then." Siren put the  
  
remote back and turned to Usagi. "How are you feeling now?"  
  
"Alright, I guess. My headache has gone."  
  
"Good. Would you like to go for a swim?"  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"This place has an indoor pool, heated even. Freshwater.   
  
They use a kind of magic filter system to stop the bugs breeding in  
  
it." Siren clapped her hands together. "I can show you why I feel  
  
such a desire to return to my homeworld. The waters of that pool  
  
are deep and beautiful. Please join me."  
  
"Okay, I guess."  
  
"Yay." Siren took Usagi by the hand and dragged her from the  
  
bed."  
  
----o  
  
Shadows of the future....  
  
Hotaru stared down at the few items of clothing she had   
  
stripped from her frame. She could remember times when clothes this  
  
size would have swamped her. Now they looked daring. Her body was  
  
big, strong and healthy. Almost as if it were mocking her.  
  
Well, she could get her own back. There were scars on her   
  
body. Ones she wouldn't allow the magical processes of healing to  
  
smooth over. She wanted to remember the pains she had felt since  
  
the cataclysm. There had been so many.  
  
The scars across her wrists. From that guy who attempted to  
  
kill her after he'd.... And tried to make it look like she'd   
  
suicided. If it wasn't for the Youma, she wouldn't be alive today.  
  
She hated the Youma.  
  
There were scars across her back and her belly. Whip marks,  
  
from the time she had been made a prisoner upon her return to this  
  
world. Because it was generally known she was a senshi.... Just  
  
because her powers were weak at that time, they took advantage of  
  
her. When her powers returned, however....  
  
She remembered their faces. Twenty thousand of them, dead, in  
  
an instant, and it was all her fault. She shivered.  
  
The scars on her legs, when she had fought and wiped out that  
  
gang that had taken control of what used to be Washington State and  
  
part of Canada in the Americas. Now it was ruled by a benevolent  
  
dictatorship. And it stayed that way. Nobody wanted a return visit  
  
by the woman named "Black Saturn".  
  
She chuckled. Here she was, as pale as a ghost, and she gets  
  
the name "BLACK Saturn". Surely Dark Saturn wasn't too much of an  
  
intellectual leap for the little worms that populated parts of this  
  
shit-spawned planet?  
  
It was because of the impression that she fraternised with the  
  
energies of Black Magic that she was given this title. None of them  
  
had the capacity to understand the differences between local magic  
  
and the powers of an Empirical Senshi. And she wasn't about to  
  
dissuade them from their delusions. She LIKED being feared. It  
  
filled her with the most incredible sense of power. One that she  
  
felt she could never achieve any other way.  
  
Then the changeroom door slammed open, and Usako charged in.  
  
"Hotaru-chan... Hotaru-chan!"  
  
"Yes, I know. I'll get to the baths in due course." She  
  
turned to Usako, who was half dressed in her blouse and underwear,  
  
shaking her head. "What? What is it?"  
  
"Its the Youma... She's..."  
  
A sensation ran down her spine, and she began to quiver...  
  
----o  
  
Tomoe Souichi was on his knees as the Youma Usagi stepped into   
  
the courtyard in front of the building fortress, dressed in camping  
  
clothes with a full backpack slung over her shoulder. The other  
  
Usagis, in various states of undress, having dashed from the   
  
communal bath, were standing behind him, watching the scene with   
  
fear.  
  
"Is... Is this because of the conversation we had yesterday?"  
  
The Professor's voice quivered as the Youma stopped, looking aside  
  
at him.  
  
"Its partly that." She replied.  
  
It was at this point that Hotaru and Usako chose to make an  
  
appearance. "What the HELL is going on here?" Hotaru shouted as  
  
she charged from the front doors, spotting her father on the ground.  
  
He turned to face her.  
  
Hotaru had managed to get her minidress back on in a matter of  
  
seconds and charged from the changerooms. Usako had never seen   
  
anyone get dressed that quickly before. It was a good thing, too.  
  
The thought of Hotaru running out stark naked would have added a  
  
comical element to something that didn't require it, in Usako's  
  
opinion.  
  
"Ah. Hotaru. I'm glad you could join this little farewell  
  
party." The Youma said, matter of factly.  
  
"Farewell? You mean, you're....?  
  
"Going back. Yes. The time is right."  
  
"But... Why? WHAT ABOUT OUR DEAL?"  
  
Professor Tomoe looked at his daughter for a moment. "What?  
  
What deal?" The Youma chuckled at his question.  
  
"If she promised to stay alive, I wouldn't kill you. That was  
  
our deal."  
  
He turned from Hotaru to the Youma. "Are you trying to tell  
  
me... The only reason you.. With me..?"  
  
"Hmm... You were lonely, and so was I. And I needed a way to  
  
make sure young Hotaru here kept getting the message. Believe me,  
  
Sou-chan, it was fun."  
  
The Youma looked back up at Hotaru. "It's over, Hotaru. You  
  
have found who you were looking for. Now she will protect you   
  
instead of I."  
  
"What do you mean, protect?"  
  
"Look inside yourself, Hotaru. You know you need to be   
  
protected.... Guided. With your mind in the state it is in, you   
  
could die at any given stage. I didn't want that to happen.   
  
Because.... Because, unlike the others, I still care about you.   
  
When I found you at that time, with that man trying to kill you, the  
  
Youma side of me that feels for the underdog came to the fore." She  
  
smiled. "Whilst you cannot forgive me for what I've done... What   
  
I'm about to do, like Usako, I care about you. In the end, I was  
  
never going to kill your father. There was no need. I knew you  
  
would find Usako, and she would take over the job of guiding you."  
  
Tears ran from Hotaru's eyes as a large ring of energy opened  
  
up before the Youma. The Youma smiled. "See this? The Dream   
  
Ambience Virulence. One of the most powerful defence/attack spells  
  
of the water caste. There isn't a single attack I am not capable of  
  
doing. If you really wanted to take me on, you would lose. This  
  
whole world would lose. Do you know what would happen if we were to  
  
both use the Death Reborn Revolution upon each other?" She   
  
chuckled. "Of course, you know what its like to do that and   
  
survive." She shrugged. "Oh well. I'm not one for long goodbyes.  
  
Ja ne." She waved and stepped into the tunnel. "Take good care of  
  
her, Usako. You're going to need all the help you can get with that  
  
one."  
  
Hotaru ran forward. "You can't do this! After all that has  
  
happened, you can't just leave us like this!" Hotaru was grabbed by  
  
her father before she could join the Youma in the tunnel. "Let me  
  
go, damn you! LET ME GO!!!"  
  
"NO!" Professor Tomoe held onto her fast, joined bu Usako and  
  
two of the Usagis. Hotaru stared helplessly as the Youma looked at  
  
her one last time, then disappeared, the tunnel closing over.  
  
Hotaru went limp, and fell to her knees, still held by the  
  
others. "I don't know if I can take this, anymore." She muttered  
  
to herself as they hugged her, tightly.  
  
----o  
  
Minako looked down from the top of the building upon which she  
  
had landed. The fall from the dimensional breach had caused her to  
  
fall unconcious. By the time she came to, she was lying on top of  
  
this building, feeling extremely ill. For some reason, she was   
  
still in the form of Venus.  
  
She stared up at the breach in awe, and at the chaos it had  
  
caused below in disbelief. There were whole segments of the city  
  
on fire. She could hear gunshots as security forces tried to regain  
  
order. It was one hell of a homecoming, of that she was certain.  
  
Just as she gawked over the side of the building, there was a  
  
flash behind her, and she turned as an energy tunnel appeared. With  
  
it came a figure. The figure of Usagi.  
  
As she'd seen so many Usagis over the course of what must have  
  
been a day, she wasn't that surprised. But she soon realised that  
  
this one was different as it stepped from the tunnel, the energy  
  
dissipating and disappearing behind her.  
  
"Aha, how convenient." The Youma unslung the backpack from  
  
her shoulders and dropped it on the ground. "It seems I can get to  
  
work straight away."  
  
"Who.... Who the hell are you?" Minako shouted. "You're not  
  
one of the others...."  
  
"Indeed not." The Youma smiled. "I am the ORIGINAL Tsukino  
  
Usagi, bitch, and I have a few bones to pick with you."  
  
"What.... But you... You CAN'T be."  
  
"Thought you'd killed me, eh?" The Youma lifted up a hand and  
  
a ball of energy appeared. "You should know better than to take   
  
anything on face value, Mina.... CHAN." The Youma spat the last   
  
word like it was poison.  
  
Minako looked around her.... Usagi... On top of a building.  
  
Where she was supposed to die....  
  
A sense of dread filled Minako, like no other she had   
  
experienced in her life.  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
and again  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
END OF PART 13  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Notes  
  
Not much to say about this one. Beginning to hurry a few things  
  
along, like the storyline with Naru, Naiad and Ami.  
  
Next chapter, "Out of the Blue", the Youma Usagi begins her revenge  
  
on the senshi. 'Nuff said.  
  
If it isn't out in the next couple of days, it might be a couple of  
  
weeks before it is, since I'll be heading off on holidays. I hope  
  
this doesn't mean I'll be rushing things. ^_^ I turn out some poor  
  
chapters that way.  
  
Mail all comments, criticisms and outright abuse to  
  
darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
The abuse might be used in the next chapter of Sailor Python, which  
  
I'm still writing. I mean it. I really do. ^_^  
  
DDFA 3rd January 1998 (A bit too late to say Happy New Year) 


	14. Part 14: Out of the Blue I

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 14  
  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
IRC: Mappy on DALnet's #AJAS  
  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so  
  
these characters really belong to them, except ones I made up. You  
  
know who they are! They're the ones that run around doing bad   
  
things to the original cast. ^_^ Well, most of them, anyway.  
  
Warning - Some of the violence in this is a little extreme. It also  
  
has language, and I'm not talking Kazakhstani here. Well, you have  
  
been warned.  
  
Ah, the strains of non-linear storytelling.  
  
Part Fourteen  
  
Out of the Blue I  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
HOMEWORLD, VALLES DE TESSUP - THE PRESENT  
  
"Does it still hurt, my lady Galaxia?" Sentinel watched as  
  
his mistress wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hide the   
  
expression on her face from him.  
  
"The pain is tolerable. Bear it no heed." She replied.  
  
She slowly unfolded her arms and turned to him. "There are times  
  
when it seems to get worse. Although this is probably my   
  
imagination at work."  
  
Sentinel stood in the doorway to Galaxia's private compartment  
  
within the transport. A room with large clear-diamond windows   
  
lining either side, with carpeted floors and exquisite seating that   
  
looked more like beds. The vessel itself was powered by her, and  
  
could carry up to one hundred people. Today it carried just five.  
  
There were very few people left on the Homeworld to act as Galaxia's  
  
court.  
  
He had entered the compartment to check on her state. Galaxia  
  
was an extremely imposing figure.... Although not particularly   
  
tall, the powers she contained radiated an aura of authority that  
  
was without comparison. It was only a few who truly knew the price  
  
she paid for containing them.  
  
"And how are the others, Sentinel? Are they comfortable?"  
  
"Indeed, my lady. They are a bit upset at having to leave the  
  
guard duty of their princess so rapidly, however."  
  
"As one would expect of them. Senshi of their world are  
  
vociferously loyal beasts." She smiled. "Reminds me of my old  
  
personal guard. Did you ever have the opportunity of meeting any of  
  
them?"  
  
"No, my lady."  
  
"Pity. I do believe one or two of them were reborn as Senshi  
  
and Miko on other worlds. After the Great Collapse, of course."  
  
"Was that before or after the Sailor Wars?"  
  
"What, the Great Collapse? No. The Sailor Wars reached their  
  
peak long before the Collapse." Galaxia stepped over to one of the  
  
windows and stared out. Now, the Sun of Night ruled. The sky was  
  
dark and the landscape glowed an iridescent blue. "Do you know what  
  
its like, seeing so many of your own kind fighting and killing each   
  
other?"  
  
"No, my lady. There have been no intersenshi conflicts during  
  
this current lifetime."  
  
"It was ridiculous, you know. Petty little squabbles turning  
  
into feudal conflicts. It got to a point where you could start a  
  
war just by looking at someone the wrong way." She turned back to  
  
Sentinel and grinned mischievously. "They never did with me,   
  
though. I wonder why."  
  
Sentinel smiled. It was good to see his lady's spirits were  
  
still reasonably high, all things considering. It had been he who  
  
had found Galaxia, wandering the eastern plains of the Ishtmael  
  
Peninsula. Although he'd recognised her immediately, she had not  
  
been in a good state of mind, and thus her appearance was   
  
dishevelled. She was malnourished and dehydrated. From what he'd  
  
been able to get out of her, she'd wandered the plains for weeks,  
  
having experienced some form of revelation.  
  
And that had been all she would tell him. Of course, she   
  
said, it was destiny that he, of all people, should have found her.  
  
He had been born a senshi, even though he didn't know at the time.  
  
His contact with her brought out his identity.... As Sailor   
  
Sentinel, the High Apprest of the Palace Guard.  
  
He watched as she turned back to the window, staring at the  
  
dim blueness.  
  
"I have never been good during the hours when the Sun of Night  
  
reigns. Do you know why?"  
  
"No my lady." Sentinel raised an eyebrow to the question,  
  
slowly stepping over to her side.  
  
"It has to do with the formation of the Homeworld Kingdom.  
  
With there being two suns came the necessity for two Queens."  
  
"Two Queens?" Sentinel's mouth dropped. But... Only you  
  
have ever ruled from this world."  
  
"A visible Empress. As visible as the land during the Sun of  
  
Day that guides my being. The other.... She is as intangible and  
  
strange as this world becomes under the gaze of the Sun of Night."  
  
Sentinel stared out at the blue landscape. The light only  
  
seemed to make the darkness all that much brighter.... The shadows  
  
that could hide a million terrors, or be the eyes of a being equal  
  
in power to Galaxia. He shivered at the thought.  
  
"Where is she now, this... other Empress."  
  
"Who knows. Ever since the day of the ceremony, she has   
  
refused the constraints of a body. Most of the time." She turned,  
  
looking in the direction the transport was heading. "Ah, we're  
  
nearly there."  
  
Sentinel followed her gaze, and opened his eyes wide. "Its...  
  
Incredible. It must be twice the size of the Palace!"  
  
"You underestimate, Sentinel. It is THREE times the size of  
  
the Palace."  
  
Sentinel shook his head. Illuminated in the ghostly light was  
  
a monolith the size of a small moon.... A vast collection of towers  
  
and castles, linked together within high battallions and walls.  
  
"The Keep of the Cauldron." Galaxia said simply. "Here we  
  
shall find the army we require to take on the Grey Queen."  
  
----o  
  
MINAKO - THE MIND  
  
Minako had never really thought long and hard about the  
  
concept of death. She had always accepted it as something that  
  
happened at the end of one's life. It never occurred to her that it   
  
may actually happen to her one day.  
  
And then it did. Rather suddenly, in fact.  
  
Not that she remembered very much about the experience. A lot  
  
had been erased from her memory due to the wish by Usagi to become a  
  
normal girl after the defeat of Metallia. Time was momentarily sent  
  
spiralling backwards, to a point where she never became Sailorvenus.  
  
Only she WAS Sailorvenus.... Or, at the very least, the world  
  
seemed to remember the Sailorsenshi and Sailorvenus along with them,  
  
only she didn't know that she was, until her memories returned. Of  
  
course, had the Sailorsenshi never existed in the first place, how  
  
did the world remember them....  
  
She hated insoluable time paradoxes. She'd meant to ask   
  
Setsuna about it, but decided against it. The elder senshi would  
  
probably confuse the issue even further by launching into a tirade  
  
of mindless temporal technobabble. Either that or give her an   
  
enigmatic expression and flare her nostrils. Minako found the way  
  
Setsuna's nostrils flared to be particularly scary.  
  
And then she died again. This time simply ceasing to exist  
  
after having her star seed taken by Galaxia. Or was it Chaos? And  
  
was she really dead if her star seed was such an important aspect of  
  
her existence? If her star seed existed, then she must have still  
  
been around....  
  
Whatever the case may be, both experiences were less than she  
  
had anticipated. Her initial expectations for the afterlife were  
  
somewhat grandiose.... As only Minako could make them. She even  
  
had visions of starting up a Sailor V line of fashions for the  
  
dearly departed.... Well, you had to do something in the long  
  
expanse of eternity.  
  
That was the key word in it all. Eternity. She'd once read  
  
about the 'Death of Forever', how the human concept of things  
  
going on without end was self-deception.... For some reason, the  
  
idea sent chills through her. She wanted to go on forever.  
  
Everyone wanted to go on forever. As a Sailorsenshi, with a history  
  
of reincarnation, it seemed a distinct possibility. To be born over  
  
and over again.... Well, she could only remember the two lives, and  
  
not very much of the last one.... But the idea, of reincarnation  
  
without end, had settled comfortably in her mind. The idea that it  
  
may not be so frightened her.  
  
But then, she was Minako. She never thought too deeply about  
  
things. Wasn't that what people had come to expect from her? Light  
  
in the hair and light in the head. The philosophical deep thinking  
  
was best left to Rei, Ami, Setsuna etcetera....  
  
So why did she think about such things so much? Why was she  
  
always hiding her fears behind a mask of silly playfulness and  
  
shallow thinking? The answer was clear.  
  
She was afraid to die.   
  
REALLY die. Total cessation of existence. When she was  
  
brought face to face with the vision of her death at the hands of  
  
Usagi.... Being beaten to a bloody pulp, then held from the top of  
  
a building by her throat until her neck snapped, her corpse dropped  
  
to smash into a shattered pile of flesh, blood and bone....  
  
The visions trawled through her mind for those fears, drawing  
  
them out, feeding them, allowing them to grow and flower. In the  
  
space of six months, Minako's feelings of friendship towards Usagi  
  
took a battering. And, eventually, she agreed with the others that  
  
the rules concerning the succession of the Princess should be called  
  
into play. In short, kill Usagi before she killed them.  
  
They were a crazy few weeks, where they had planned the   
  
execution. They seemed unreal, somehow trying to convince the   
  
normally suspicious Usagi that nothing was going on.... To convince  
  
themselves that they were doing the right thing.... They were going  
  
to kill Usagi. They were going to kill someone, in cold blood,   
  
period! It was against everything they had stood for, and yet she  
  
felt a strange sense of thrill, of excitement.... She wasn't going  
  
to die!  
  
Of course, things were never as simple as they seemed.  
  
----o  
  
TOKYO - THE PRESENT  
  
Minako looked down from the top of the building upon which she  
  
had landed. The fall from the dimensional breach had rendered her   
  
unconcious. By the time she came to, she was lying on top of this   
  
building, feeling extremely ill. For some reason, she was still in   
  
the form of Venus.  
  
She stared up at the breach in awe, and at the chaos it had  
  
caused below in disbelief. There were whole segments of Tokyo on  
  
fire. She could hear gunshots as security forces tried to regain  
  
order. Amazing how easy it was for people to go into mass panic.  
  
It was certainly one hell of a homecoming.  
  
After having been snatched away into the alternate dimension  
  
with Hotaru, Artemis and Luna, she had found herself forced into a  
  
situation where she had to fight a group of Usagi clones who called  
  
themselves the "Usagi Liberation Front". They had kidnapped Hotaru  
  
in the hope of forcing a showdown between both Venus and themselves.  
  
It almost succeeded, too. After arriving at the scene of the  
  
battle, an Usagi Production Plant within the middle of the Eternal  
  
City that spanned the length and bredth of the dimension, run by the  
  
original Mamoru, no less, she found herself being pounded into  
  
submission by their superior fighting skills. Their dream of  
  
showing their power and, therefore, their superiority over Venus and  
  
Saturn almost came to pass.  
  
She was saved, however, by another Usagi clone whose fighting  
  
skills were above par and whose capacity to make long-winded and  
  
moving speeches was unmatched. Strange though, thought Usagi, the  
  
manner and dress of that Usagi clone reminded her of someone.... A  
  
character she'd seen in an anime...  
  
That was it! Himura Kenshin! That wandering samurai guy who  
  
used to be an assassin.... That Usagi clone had to be one sick   
  
chicken to want to emulate an anime and manga character like that.  
  
Then Minako sighed.... So many of the Usagi's seemed to be trying  
  
to copy characters from anime and manga.... Using the original  
  
Usagi's love of such to create individual identities for themselves.  
  
In a way, it was terribly sad. Having been rejected because they  
  
didn't match up to their "Mamo-chan's" expectations of what   
  
constituted the one true Usagi, they chose to live out fantasy   
  
existences instead. It was either that or the humdrum life of  
  
someone who couldn't live up to the humble expectations of Tsukino  
  
Usagi....  
  
And then, just as things were coming to a head between Usashin  
  
and the Usagi Liberation Front, big black thingies that floated in  
  
the sky appeared and started blowing the crappers out of everything.  
  
And Hotaru went psycho, using her most powerful attack, the  
  
Death Reborn Revolution, to destroy them. Everything had exploded  
  
into multicolour ribbons of energy which faded into a uniform white,  
  
and Minako thought that was it. The DRR was a spoilsport attack,  
  
designed to wipe EVERYTHING out if things had reached a point where  
  
the senshi were unable to stop their enemy. It made sure that there  
  
would be nothing left for what enemy remained to inherit.  
  
Right now, Minako should have been a cloud of atomic   
  
particles. The fact that she was now standing atop a building in  
  
Tokyo, looking up at a dimensional breach meant something had gone  
  
wrong.  
  
Just as she was gawking over the side of the building, there   
  
was a flash behind her, and she turned as an energy tunnel appeared.   
  
With it came a figure. The figure of Usagi.  
  
She wasn't all that surprised by the appearance. What was yet  
  
another Usagi on a day like this? But she soon realised that this   
  
one was different as it stepped from the tunnel, the energy  
  
dissipating and disappearing behind her.  
  
The Usagi looked at least a year or so older than Minako   
  
remembered the others being. Even her expression was more measured,  
  
signs of a greater self-control, mixed in with a slightly manic edge   
  
not seen in the original.  
  
She looked around at her surroundings for a few moments, like  
  
some hiker entering a valley she'd never before traversed. Indeed,  
  
the Usagi was dressed as if going on a long hike, in khaki-green  
  
shorts and shirt, heavy boots and a large, full backpack over her  
  
shoulder. She sniffed, wiping her nose as she stared at the sky.  
  
"Hmm, impressive little tear, just like Hotaru said it was."  
  
"Ano..." Minako croaked, and the Usagi looked at her,   
  
smiling.  
  
"Aha, how convenient." The Usagi unslung the backpack from   
  
her shoulders and dropped it on the ground. "It seems I can get to   
  
work straight away."  
  
"Who.... Who the hell are you?" Minako shouted. "You're not  
  
one of the others...."  
  
"One of the others?" The Usagi frowned, then smiled,  
  
understanding what Minako meant. "Indeed not." She smiled. "I am   
  
the ORIGINAL Tsukino Usagi, bitch, and I have a few bones to pick   
  
with you."  
  
"What.... But you... You CAN'T be."  
  
"Thought you'd killed me, eh?" The Youma lifted up a hand and  
  
a ball of energy appeared. "You should know better than to take   
  
anything on face value, Mina.... CHAN." The Youma spat the last   
  
word like it was poison.  
  
"But.... You... Its not possible. How...?"  
  
Minako looked around her.... Usagi... On top of a building.  
  
Where she was supposed to die....  
  
A sense of dread filled Minako, like no other she had   
  
experienced in her life.  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
and again  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
They sing, they play, they dance for you,  
  
from out of the blue  
  
"What's wrong, Mina? You look pale."  
  
For a few moments, Minako just stood there, staring and  
  
shivering. The Youma shook her head. Such a pathetic wretch, she  
  
thought. It was an incredible shame she had to kill the girl. She  
  
found a peculiar attraction to people who were gone in the head, or  
  
about to go.  
  
She felt her right hand tremble. Not yet, she thought, soon,  
  
you'll have what you want, what you desire.  
  
"You.... You always had to be the centre of attention, didn't  
  
you?" Minako shivered, a sudden sense of impotence overwhelming   
  
her. "Always having to make the dramatic entrances." The Youma  
  
sneered at her.  
  
"Yes, always. I AM the Princess, remember? It's your job to  
  
guard me. You know, stop anyone trying to kill me and all that?"  
  
"And a fat lot of good we did. We always ended up dying for   
  
you. Do you remember that?" Minako didn't know why she was saying  
  
this.... She was shivering uncontrollably, a cold sweat running  
  
over her body. She knew, instinctively, that this was the real   
  
Usagi. She could sense the power, not just of the Princess, but of  
  
the Ginzuishou. And of something else she couldn't easily define.  
  
The edges of the three powers were mixed.... No real point of  
  
definition, and they were getting more and more tainted all the   
  
time.  
  
The Youma bowed in mock thanks. "Well, I guess it was a  
  
mistake to have brought you back. What do you think?"  
  
"I think you're a selfish little cow. Now you know what it  
  
feels like.... To die, I mean, for real."  
  
The Youma stared at her, the sphere of energy slowly beginning  
  
to fade. "Do you think I did not empathise with what you went   
  
through? Did you think I had to experience what you experienced for  
  
us to be truly equal?"  
  
Minako burst into nervous rage.  
  
"I AM THE LEADER OF THE SAILORSENSHI! WHAT I SAY GOES WHEN IT  
  
COMES TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE KINGDOM! THAT INCLUDES THE   
  
RIGHTS OF SUCCESSION!" Minako didn't know why she shouted that.   
  
She was breathing shallowly now, panting. For a few moments it   
  
looked as if the Youma had been stunned into submission. It didn't   
  
last.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mina-chan. You killed me. I don't know your   
  
reasons for committing this act of treason against I, the true   
  
inheritor of the spirit and powers of Serenity, but sooner or later,  
  
the pair of us are going to try to kill each other." The Youma  
  
paused for effect. "So lets do it. Lets try and kill each other.  
  
Of course, I should add one proviso.... My body is pretty much  
  
immune to physical attacks." She knocked on her left shoulder with  
  
her right hand. "Soul by Tsukino, body by Jadeite."  
  
"Jadeite?"  
  
"Yeah, I have him to thank for this bod. Its just a high  
  
class Youma model, but its made to last."  
  
"A Youma body? You have a Youma body?"  
  
"You ask a lot of questions. If you don't stop, you're dead."  
  
The Youma Usagi began to chant an incantation, and Minako felt the  
  
air around her begin to swirl.  
  
No time for indecision.  
  
  
  
Minako ran at her. It wasn't what the Youma was expecting.  
  
A king hit right in the chest and throat. The force was enough to  
  
knock the Youma clean off the top of the building. Minako stood and  
  
watched as the Youma's form sailed over the side like a rag doll,   
  
unable to believe what she had just done.  
  
"Don't stop now", she said to herself. "If you do, you die."  
  
No don't want to die, not again. Not gonna die this time....  
  
No Usagi to save me this time.  
  
She ran and leapt from the building, following the stunned   
  
and delirious Youma to the ground, sneering and giggling madly.  
  
The Youma hit the ground with an incredible force, blowing a  
  
hole large enough to fit a car into the concrete. Before her rapid  
  
healing processes could give her enough backbone to sit up, Minako  
  
landed heavily on her chest and knelt, gripping the Youma by her  
  
collar.  
  
"You... can't defeat me... No matter what you try..." The   
  
Youma croaked as Minako sneered in her face.  
  
"Hooooo YEAH? EAT ME!" And with that, Minako headbutted the  
  
Youma heavily. Repeatedly, smashing the Youma's skull, beating her  
  
head further into the ground. "You're..." WHAM! "Not gonna..."   
  
WHAM! "Kill..." WHAM! "Me, you..." WHAM! "Freak!" WHAM!.   
  
Minako's forehead bled heavily, but she was protected by the ward of   
  
her tiara. It annoyed her, though, when the blood ran into her  
  
eyes, obscuring her vision. She wiped them clear.  
  
She stood, dragging the Youma from the ground with insane  
  
strength, Youma blood running freely down her arms. She lifted back  
  
a fist, and pounded the Youma across the chin with the strongest   
  
punch she could muster, letting go of the collar with the other.   
  
The Youma was sent flying through several buildings, eventually   
  
ending up being squirted on by unsurprisingly busted water pipes   
  
within the washroom of a local restaurant. The Youma cursed as she   
  
managed to pick herself up, finally healed enough to stand.  
  
"Fucking BITCH! I'll HAVE YOU for THAT!" She said as she  
  
rubbed her scalp, checking to see if the skull had fixed itself up,   
  
too. Being without a useful spine and skull wasn't as fun as she   
  
expected, not that she expected it to be fun.  
  
"TALLY HO HO HO, YA HO!" Minako came charging through the   
  
hole and rammed the Youma. This time, however, she was ready, and   
  
formed a variable energy shield. Minako struck the shield, and was   
  
then knocked through the ceiling like a cannon shot as the Youma   
  
realigned the shield's shape to form a battering ram. Minako let   
  
out a cry as she felt herself smashing through several storeys of   
  
concrete, wondering if it was her duty in life to test the   
  
construction of multi-storey buildings, then looked around her   
  
dazedly as the impacts stopped. She was flying high above the city.  
  
Something loomed beside her and she turned. The Youma had   
  
followed her up, through either some power of flight or one   
  
tremedously giant leap for Youmakind, grinning as blood flew from   
  
her wounds like a grisly vapour trail. Minako momentarily wondered  
  
if the bitch had an unending supply.  
  
The Youma lifted her hand and slammed it against Minako's  
  
midsection. The senshi let out a short cry as she flew at high   
  
speed for the ground, then managed to spin herself around and landed  
  
tentatively on the edge of the building from which she had emerged.  
  
Her stilettoes made this next to impossible, but with her senshi's  
  
balance, she caught herself in time and stood, looking up. The   
  
Youma was flying down at her, right fist outstretched, giggling   
  
madly.  
  
"Give me a break!" Minako took a step back onto the roof and   
  
watched as the Youma buried her head and shoulders into the concrete   
  
where she had stood. Minako then grabbed her legs and wrenched her   
  
out.  
  
"You fuckin' HO! That was CHEATING!" The Youma spat at her,  
  
blood flying from her mouth with every word as she dangled upside-  
  
down, swinging at and punching Minako, who gritted her teeth   
  
angrily.  
  
"All's fair in love and war, bitch." Minako began to spin,   
  
and the Youma let out a dizzied expression of fear as she flew   
  
around and around and around. Then Minako let go, wrenching her   
  
arms sideways as she did so, causing a rather sickening cracking   
  
noise to emerge from the Youma's ankles and calves. The Youma   
  
screamed in pain as she was sent packing over the rooves of several   
  
more buildings.  
  
"No stopping! No stopping until I've wiped away every little  
  
cell of this freak." Minako muttered on her breath, her eyes wide  
  
with fear and exhiliration and she leapt from the building onto the  
  
next, following the Youma.  
  
----o  
  
KAA, THE IKAPAA VALLEY - THE PRESENT  
  
The two figures stared from the ridgetop at the flat plain  
  
that lay between the mountains, as dry and as desolate as so many  
  
parts of this world. It was already beginning to get on the nerves  
  
of Siren Charybdis.  
  
"This air is so dry.... I'm sure I can taste the dust." She  
  
said, pulling the hood of her cloak further over her pale skin.  
  
Whilst the small red sun emitted only the weakest of damaging rays,  
  
Siren's complexion was surprisingly pale. Not unusual for a native  
  
of Mherr.  
  
But this wasn't Mherr. This world more closely resembled the  
  
visions of Mhrit, the Mherrian underworld. A world where oneness  
  
with the oceans could never again be achieved.  
  
Her companion, a woman with scarlet hair and fair skin,  
  
chuckled. "You can probably taste the dust because there are   
  
chemicals within the soil of Kaa that give it a flavour." She  
  
grinned. "Its been said that some have even taken to eating the  
  
dirt during times of famine."  
  
"I can imagine that happening quite frequently here." Siren  
  
shook her head as she surveyed the scene. "Is this really the  
  
homeworld of Crow, Arachne-sama?"  
  
"Indeed, it is." Arachne looked at Siren for a few moments,  
  
shifting her scarlet Miko robes to drag the trains from the dust.  
  
"You sound disappointed."  
  
"Its just.... Crow and I were... Close. For quite some   
  
time. I'd never thought that she would have found her origins in a  
  
place like this."  
  
"She would probably say the same about Mherr. After all,   
  
whilst your kind worship the oceans, her species see the sky as  
  
their domain. They give very little quarter for what exists below."  
  
"I know that. Its just. It is such a hellish place. So dry  
  
and dead. How did ANY life evolve here?"  
  
"Underground."  
  
"Eh?"  
  
Arachne just smiled knowingly and turned to a small rocky   
  
pillar that sat nearby. She closed her eyes and began to chant.   
  
Siren watched her with fascination.... A Miko of Water at work.  
  
She found it hard to believe that a species that evolved   
  
predominately on land would have one.... On Mherr, all the Miko  
  
had water-based powers. As did the Senshi and the Shogunate. The  
  
elements of Earth, Air and Fire simply didn't enter into the   
  
equation.  
  
Before Siren knew what was happening, the pillar split and   
  
parted. Within the split she could see a dark tunnel, leading down,   
  
illuminated by small flames that emanated from fonts. Arachne   
  
ceased her chanting and opened her eyes, smiling at her handiwork.  
  
"Yes, I still have the touch."  
  
"Wha... What is this?" Siren spluttered. "Where does it  
  
lead to?"  
  
"This is a Keep, Siren." Arachne took a few steps forward  
  
towards the entrance. "The Keep of Kaa. This was where   
  
civilisation, as it exists, found its footing on this world." She  
  
turned to Siren and beckoned her forward. "And it is where we  
  
shall find the next member of our party."  
  
----o  
  
THE NEW KANTO PLAIN - THE FUTURE  
  
Tomoe Souichi stared at the dark sky, alone. It had been some  
  
time since he'd had to face the onset of night devoid of a bed  
  
partner, and he didn't like the feeling one little bit.  
  
The roof of his fortress building, an office block that had  
  
survived the great event known as the Cataclysm, seemed as good a  
  
place as any to sail through his solitude. And so he found a   
  
deckchair, some fine wine, crackers and a vintage brie, and   
  
proceeded to feel very sorry for himself.  
  
The disappearance of the Youma Usagi had been a surprise to  
  
all, especially to both Hotaru and himself. Although, he probably  
  
should have seen it coming, the way the weirdling girl had been  
  
talking, shortly beforehand. The new Usagi clone, the one that  
  
preferred to be known as Usako, didn't seem all that surprised by  
  
the decision of the Youma. It was as if she KNEW what was going to  
  
happen before it did. He knew it was going to happen, too. It was  
  
just.... earlier than he'd expected. Wanted.  
  
Hotaru had been inconsolable for some strange reason. The  
  
damned girl had done nothing but avoid or abuse the Youma ever since  
  
she found her in Kami-knows-where. Why she should suddenly feel so  
  
betrayed by the Youma's decision to return to the past and face her  
  
destiny, he had no idea. Something had gone on between Hotaru and  
  
the Youma, and he was determined to find out what that was.  
  
After he got himself blind drunk a couple of times, of course.  
  
If it was good enough for his daughter, then it was good enough for  
  
him....  
  
"Tomoe-sensei..." Said the soft voice, just to his left. He  
  
lifted his head and turned to look, just in time to have the  
  
deckchair collapse underneath him. Fortunately, his drink and food  
  
were sitting on a table next to him and avoided the same fate.  
  
A large sweatdrop formed on Usako's forehead as the Professor  
  
picked himself up from the floor, looking sheepish.  
  
"Damn deckchairs, don't make them like they used to."  
  
"Do they still make them?"  
  
"Yes, but they're banned in several countries as an unnatural  
  
form of psychological torture." He stood and stepped beside the  
  
table, picking up a second glass he'd placed there in case anyone  
  
cared to join him. "A drink?"  
  
"No thankyou. I'm not partial to alcohol."  
  
"You don't know what you're missing. This is a very fine   
  
white." He lifted up the bottle and showed her the label. She  
  
smiled sweetly.  
  
"I'm afraid I do know what I'm missing, sorry. The last time  
  
I touched stuff like that, I was sick for a week."  
  
"Oh well, its your loss." He shrugged as he refilled his   
  
glass. "You might not get another opportunity, what with the way  
  
Hotaru guzzles her way through the alcohol store."  
  
"Have you ever bothered to ask her why she does?"  
  
"She's an alcoholic?"  
  
"Have you ever bothered to ask her why she is?"  
  
He shrugged and sipped his glass, running the liquid across  
  
his palate appreciatively. "She isn't likely to tell me what her  
  
problems are. She never does. I'm always the last to know."  
  
"You're the last to know because you've never bothered to   
  
press her on the matter. Tomoe-sensei, she is on self-destuct, you  
  
can see that, can't you?"  
  
"Yes, of course I can see that. He put the glass down and   
  
walked to the edge of the roof. "But she never listens to me. She  
  
has always been an independently minded girl. Why should I be  
  
surprised to find her cold as well?"  
  
"There are always reasons for the things we do. Hotaru has  
  
some very good reasons for behaving the way she does. The behaviour  
  
may not be acceptable, but the reasons for it are understandable."  
  
"And how do you know these reasons? Have you ever asked her?  
  
You know what she does when ANYONE tries to press her about things,  
  
even the simplest things. The last time we had a truly raging  
  
argument it was because I caught her with her hand in the cookie   
  
jar, literally. She didn't want to admit that she hadn't eaten that   
  
night."  
  
He turned to Usako, despairingly. "She has been like this   
  
ever since I found her after the Cataclysm. No, I'm wrong.... It  
  
was before the Cataclysm, during the affair with the original   
  
Usagi..." He shook his head. "Since then, she's just hidden one  
  
thing after another from me. She is a fugue, running away from all  
  
responsibility and normal social behaviour."  
  
"There are greater reasons.... for this behaviour." Usako bit  
  
her lower lip. "She is afraid to tell you about them because of how  
  
she thinks you will react."  
  
"What are you trying to say? That she has done something I  
  
would find unsettling? Don't you think I know what she's done? The   
  
deaths at the resettlement camp near Seoul.... Even though those   
  
people deserved what they got..."  
  
Usako ummed and erred for a bit. "That's not entirely what I  
  
mean." She shifted her feet uncomfortably. "There is a link that  
  
exists between us. One that has existed since the Cataclysm. Since  
  
that time, we have shared our experiences through the form of   
  
visions, even though we have been apart." She paused. "I've seen,  
  
through her eyes, the events that lead to her meeting up with the  
  
Youma girl.... And why she made a pact with her to keep it quiet."  
  
"So why don't YOU tell me what happened and save us all a hell  
  
of a lot of time."  
  
"Because I want you to do it yourself. It is your duty as her  
  
father."  
  
"Don't preach to me about parental responsibility. Hotaru is  
  
an adult now. 24 years of age, if what she tells me is correct."  
  
Usako shook her head. "She is 24 in body, but half that age  
  
in her mind." Usako turned from him and began to walk back towards  
  
the roof entrance. She paused a moment and looked back. "Now that  
  
the Youma is gone, the pact they made is null and void. She is free  
  
to kill herself at anytime, and I don't know if I have the power  
  
within me to stop her from doing it." Usako turned and continued.   
  
The Professor reached forward, about to ask her what she meant, but   
  
she was gone, disappearing into the darkness of the open entrance.  
  
He pondered her words, then grabbed his glass and downed the   
  
last of his wine, eventually smashing the glass on the ground.  
  
----o  
  
REI - THE MIND  
  
Fire.  
  
All she could see was fire.  
  
With her body dancing within.  
  
It was a dream that followed Rei incessantly. Ever since she  
  
was a child, she felt a strange attraction to fire. There had been  
  
moments when her obsession worried others.... And with good   
  
reason, although Rei was the only one who truly knew these reasons.  
  
Certainly, nobody looked in her direction when her old school  
  
burnt down. Or the local library. Or the local supermarket.  
  
It was only the discipline, given to her through her   
  
determination and power of will, and her training as a shrine   
  
maiden, that stopped things going very... much... further...   
  
Although the flame she would chant to was... very... pretty...  
  
Until she became Sailormars, that was.  
  
A Senshi with fire-based powers. The irony of it all did not  
  
escape her. She managed to hide her obsessions from the others as  
  
best as she could. There were always pressing matters that would  
  
distract her, anyway. But to exercise those powers.... Sometimes  
  
she was almost overcome by the... the... the pleasure of it all.  
  
Those moments when she felt engulfed by the flame.... Why could she  
  
never BECOME the flame? Why was she limited to merely wielding it?  
  
On some nights, when she was alone, she'd change into   
  
Sailormars and dance little flames around her fingers, watching   
  
their graceful flickering with abandon, and unmatched fascination.   
  
The flames came from her, and yet were NOT her. She wanted to be   
  
like them, to dance as gracefully, consuming all in her wake.  
  
The fact that she never could made her angry, and defensive   
  
around others. It hurt to hurt them so much, but she couldn't help   
  
it. She had to hide her true self, lest she eat them up in her own   
  
flame....  
  
TOKYO - THE PRESENT  
  
They had run for miles across the city.... First using   
  
VesVes's powers of transportation, then on foot when she began to  
  
tire. But wherever they went, IT was there. The Resonator.  
  
They'd slowed down at one stage, when the dimesional breach  
  
opened up and all those figures.... All those Usagis, fell from  
  
the sky. Whilst VesVes didn't seem all that surprised (indeed,  
  
almost seemed to enjoy the moment), both Rei and Jadeite were   
  
awestruck by the event. So, apparently, was the Resonator, because  
  
it seemed to pause in its pursuit at that moment. It didn't last  
  
for long.  
  
In desperation, when the Resonator had begun to catch them   
  
again, VesVes attempted another transport. They'd landed smack  
  
bang within the middle of the Juuban District Police Branch complex,  
  
not one of the smartest moves they could have hoped to make,   
  
considering the high number of people in the building at the time.  
  
Many of those people were now part of the Resonator.  
  
Since then, they'd legged it. The streets had been too  
  
blocked to attempt grabbing a car or some such vehicle to aid in   
  
their escape, but now, as they approached the outerlying suburbs,   
  
things had gone quiet. Too quiet. Quieter than any of them had   
  
ever remembered Tokyo being, if one excluded the fact that there   
  
were choppers and other such vehicles flying about overhead. That   
  
was when they realised they were, literally, the only people for   
  
miles in this part of town.  
  
VesVes stopped as they made their path down a wide roadway,  
  
doubling over, holding her chest and breathing heavily. Rei and  
  
Jadeite paused, looking back at her.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you now?" Rei, who also looked  
  
similarly stressed, managed to pant out.  
  
"I've got the stitch."  
  
"We can't stop! That monster freak isn't going to give up.   
  
As I think I've said before, once a Resonator gets a sniff of its  
  
quarry, it never ever gives up." Jadeite looked around nervously.   
  
He could smell smoke, hanging in the air. Vast columns of the stuff   
  
rose from all over the city now as the first few beams of sunlight   
  
crept over the horizon. An eerie orange-red glow.  
  
VesVes looked up at him. "Well, I was thinking, why don't we  
  
split up?" Both her companions stared at her as if she was mad.  
  
"What do you mean, split up?" Rei croaked.  
  
"It'd confuse it, not knowing which one of us to go after."  
  
"It'd go after us, one after the other. Were you deaf when  
  
laughing boy here said the thing never gives up? On top of that,  
  
splitting up will cut our use of each others' powers if it comes  
  
down to that."  
  
"Its not like both Jadeite and myself have a lot left to give.  
  
Transportation is not one of my specialties, and it drained a lot  
  
from me to use it. And what with the thing draining his...."  
  
"Well excuse me for being patently useless." Jadeite sneered.  
  
"You're excused." VesVes smirked stressfully. He ignored   
  
her.  
  
"So why don't we grab a vehicle of some kind? The streets are  
  
clear enough now." Jadeite pointed to various cars parked in the  
  
street. Rei sighed.  
  
"Do we have enough time to break into one and hotwire it? And  
  
besides, all the roads out of town are probably blocked." Rei put a  
  
hand to her chest, feeling a tight sensation. She tried to put it  
  
out of her mind.  
  
That was about all they could say to one another.  
  
The Resonator landed before them. This was something of a   
  
unexpected development, not too surprisingly. There had been no   
  
sign of the kind of devastation it had wreaked earlier, anywhere   
  
near their current location. And it was now quite BIG. Big enough   
  
to crush a couple of houses. Before any of them could react, a leg   
  
slashed through the air, bowling them sideways. VesVes flew through   
  
the window of a house, whilst Jadeite and Rei landed on the road.  
  
"Heeheehee, I kill you DIE. You not escape, ever escape, no   
  
escape. Seek the superior flesh you have for me." The Resonator  
  
chittered as it strode rapidly forward, letting off beams of energy  
  
at the two sprawled figures.  
  
Rei was the first to react, standing and putting up an energy  
  
shield, feeling dizzy as blood ran from a cut underneath her   
  
hairline. The energy beams struck the shield with immense force,   
  
and Rei let out a cry as the searing heat enveloped her. That heat   
  
stirred something frightening within her. The desire for the flame.   
  
The flame the flame the flame.... She felt herself being grabbed   
  
from behind and spun to see Jadeite, a huge bruise across one of his  
  
eyes and cheekbone, gritting his teeth.  
  
"Are you suicidal or something? RUN!"  
  
"Where? Its got us dead!" Rei stammered angrily, holding  
  
the shield as best as she could.  
  
Jadeite quivered, unable to think of anything more. Rei   
  
sneered at him. "Big tough Jadeite! Where is your fighting spirit  
  
now?" She turned as the Resonator continued its charge. "It wants   
  
to test my powers? Then let it eat my WORST!"  
  
Rei gestured with her hands and screamed at the top of her  
  
voice. "NUCLEAR FUSION INCINERATION!" Jadeite's eyes nearly popped  
  
out of his head when he heard that, and landed on the ground,   
  
mouthing a prayer.  
  
The Resonator was surprised to find itself struck with   
  
something the equivalent of a concentrated supernova. Much of it   
  
was incinerated in a fraction of a second, along with half the   
  
neighbourhood. It was a good thing there was nobody there anymore,   
  
thought Rei.... The cathartic element of blowing away a portion of   
  
Tokyo was made all the better by the fact that she wouldn't be   
  
facing the chair for nothing short of attempted genocide.  
  
She landed on her knees as little pieces of human bodies fell  
  
all around them. The bits and pieces of the Resonator's victims  
  
that it had used to expand its own body. Rei watched the grisly  
  
rain, stunned that a creature of such nature could be defeated so  
  
easily.... Especially after all the problems they had trying to get  
  
away from it. She had been afraid to use that spell.... Mostly  
  
because of the people around. Now, with everyone running for the  
  
hills after the dimensional rift opened up, she was clear to fire  
  
away to her heart's content.  
  
Jadeite sat up and looked around, smiling with a kind of   
  
insane happiness. "Ah, now THAT'S the Mars I remember."  
  
"Nice to see I haven't disappointed you." She puffed heavily,  
  
feeling light-headed. The expenditure of energy taking a heavy toll  
  
on her. "Hope I don't have to do that again, anytime soon. It'll  
  
near kill me."  
  
"Ano...." Jadeite pointed down the road at a small pile of  
  
pink that was sitting where the Resonator had stood when Rei's   
  
attack had struck it. "I think that may be on the cards."  
  
"What the hell?" She stared as she watched the fleshy pile  
  
slowly reform. "It CAN'T still be alive. Not after THAT." She  
  
let out a breath and looked up into the sky, watching with   
  
distracted fascination as the tendrils of the Eternal City descended  
  
upon Tokyo.... And with it a number of flying black objects.  
  
"Oh poop." She said to herself. "They're going to be   
  
trouble, I can see it now. Trouble comes in threes." She pointed  
  
to the Resonator, the City and the black objects, counting them off.  
  
"One, two, three."  
  
KABLAM!  
  
Rei and Jadeite turned to the sound of the nearby explosion as  
  
the wind picked up. There was a sickly sweet smell on the breeze,  
  
and Rei could feel, within that breeze, its origin. She momentarily  
  
looked up into the sky once more. There was somebody there, trying  
  
to call to anybody who was listening. A voice. From the sky. From  
  
the tendrils that hung from that world up there.  
  
"What in the name of...." She heard Jadeite mutter, followed  
  
by a rapidly approaching cry of fear, from the mouth of someone she  
  
recognised. She turned just in time to be walloped by a flying   
  
Minako. The two senshi sprawled over the road as Jadeite stepped  
  
aside, glad that he could, at the very least, keep his attention on  
  
the matter at hand.  
  
"Hoo, doki doki waku waku!" Came a voice from the air. "I  
  
never knew you two felt that way about each other." The Youma  
  
Usagi, he clothes torn to shreds and splattered with blood, hovered  
  
and descended, landing nearby.  
  
"You... Sailormoon!" Jadeite frowned. "You ARE the   
  
original?" She sighed and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Yes, I am the bloody original. You're the second person to  
  
ask me that today, Jadeite. Its nice to see you again, by the way.  
  
I like the body you gave me. Nice and durable."  
  
"Uh... That's fine." He turned to Rei and Minako. The two  
  
senshi were lying entangled with each other, senseless. "You...   
  
Uh... You wouldn't be trying to kill Sailorvenus, would you?"  
  
"Yup, that's what I'm a doin'" She smiled sweetly. An   
  
utterly unpleasant expression considering her face and hair were as  
  
blood splattered as her clothes. He looked back at the two senshi.  
  
The both of them were badly injured.  
  
"I suppose that means you're going to kill Mars as well?"  
  
"You betcha."  
  
"And me?"  
  
The Youma smiled and put out her hands, expansively. "Oh now,  
  
come come. Why would I want to hurt my darling Jade-chan?" She  
  
giggled. Jadeite felt a moment's confusion, a few moral abstracts  
  
running through his mind.  
  
"Look, can this wait? We're just a bit distracted here...."  
  
"What?" The Youma pointed up to the sky. "You mean that?"   
  
She looked up. "I see the Eternal City and the Destroyers are   
  
beginning their descent now. Shouldn't be long until Judgement   
  
Day." She shrugged and looked back at him. "Yeah, I suppose that  
  
might be a good reason to stop. But I'm not gonna."  
  
Jadeite shook his head. "Its not just that, look." He   
  
pointed over to the pile of pink that was the regenerating   
  
Resonator. The Youma shrugged again.  
  
"That's the Resonator, then, I take it? Easy to deal with  
  
that." She snapped her fingers, and the gooey pink mess disappeared  
  
in a flash of light. Jadeite stared in disbelief.  
  
"Heehee. Be a while before it finds us again. Just dropped  
  
it in the middle of Tokyo Bay." She chuckled.  
  
"Where did you get powers like that? I thought only Queen   
  
Ber..." He paused for a moment. "Only Queen Beryl could do that."  
  
"Yes, Jadeite?" The Youma blinked.  
  
"B... Beryl?" He croaked.  
  
"You want something, Jadeite?"  
  
"Oh KAMI!" He thought. He knew he put a little more into the  
  
Youma body than merely the soul of Sailormoon. There was a little  
  
bit of both Serenity and Metallia in there as well. But if Beryl   
  
was in there, that only increased the Youma's range of powers.  
  
Enough to make her....  
  
The Grey Queen?  
  
"Now, should we get back to matters at hand?" She strode   
  
forward, arrogantly. "This bitch has given me the run of the city.  
  
I think its time to give back in kind, after all, its better to give  
  
than to receive." She stepped up to the prone forms of Mars and   
  
Venus. "But first...."  
  
Jadeite watched with a sinking feeling as the Youma reached   
  
down and grabbed Rei by the wrist, lifting her up bodily.  
  
"This one. More than all the others, she revelled in my   
  
death. The one to whom I was closest. I think I'll do her first."  
  
"DON'T!" Jadeite shivered as the Youma turned to him,   
  
surprised. "Please.... Don't kill Mars."  
  
"Well, what should I do, give her a good talking to? How   
  
about a spanking?" She put on a mock voice. "You've been a naughty  
  
little girl, Rei-chan." The Youma giggled. "Woo, kinky. I kinda  
  
like the idea."  
  
"No.... Give... Give her to me, I shall.... I will make  
  
sure she never bothers you again."  
  
There were a few moments of silence between the two. Slowly,  
  
the Youma shook her head. "I'm sorry, Jade-chan. I want her blood.  
  
Her soul, her star seed. I want to crush them in my own hands, so  
  
I can be satisfied." her right hand was twitching. Jadeite shook  
  
his head.  
  
"I want her. SHE BELONGS TO ME!" He felt nauseous. "At   
  
least, let me punish her for what she has done. I shall impose upon  
  
her the most humiliating of existences...."  
  
"Whoo, Jadeite no ecchi." The Youma snorted and shook Rei   
  
like a rag doll. "What do you think, bag of meat? Would you like  
  
to be Jadeite's sex slave for the rest of your existence, or would  
  
you prefer to die?" She grabbed Rei by the jaw and made her mouth  
  
move. "Kill me! Kill me, please, I beg of you." The Youma laughed  
  
and slapped Rei a couple of times across the chops. "Okay, I will."  
  
Jadeite became angry. "I said she belongs to ME!" He charged  
  
forward, but the Youma waved her free hand in his direction, and he  
  
found himself flat on the road, held by some force.  
  
"Sorry, Jade-chan. I'll deal with you later." She licked her  
  
lips. "I always did like you more than the other Generals. Could  
  
never see what Naru saw in Nephrite...."  
  
She turned back to Rei, and gripped her throat with her right  
  
hand, letting go of the wrist with the other. Slowly, she began to  
  
squeeze. Rei made rattled gasping sounds as the hand grew tighter  
  
and tighter.  
  
Then the Youma fell to the ground, letting go of Rei who   
  
collapsed into a gagging heap. The Youma looked down at her feet to  
  
see Minako, hanging on desperately.  
  
"Leave Rei-chan alone." Minako croaked. The Youma gritted   
  
her teeth angrily.  
  
"Bitch! BITCH! NEVER, EVER INTERRUPT ME WHEN I'M BUSY!"  
  
And with that, the Youma leapt forward, grabbed Minako by the hair,   
  
pushing her head back so she was sitting up on her knees, and thrust   
  
her right hand into Minako's midsection. Minako hacked and spat out   
  
blood as the hand tore through her. The Youma retrieved the hand,   
  
letting go of Minako, who fell back to the ground, gurgling.  
  
"Eeewww.... Senshi giblets." The Youma flicked goo from her  
  
right hand, then turned back to Rei, who was trying to crawl away.  
  
"Where are you going?" She said, smiling. Rei turned to her,   
  
seeing but not seeing, then turned back and continued her fruitless  
  
crawl. The Youma shook her head and snapped her fingers.  
  
Fluid, slightly coloured, fell from nowhere and splattered  
  
across Rei. The fluid made her wounds sting, and its odour made her  
  
fall to the ground dizzily as the Youma stood and stepped over to   
  
her. "Might as well get this over and done with." She reached into  
  
her last remaining pocket as Jadeite watched on, only then realising  
  
what the Youma was going to do.  
  
"NOOOO! STOP!" He cried as the Youma pulled out a box of  
  
matches. She turned to him and smiled.  
  
"Just giving her what she wants, Jade-chan. Just lie back and  
  
wait. I shan't be long with this pair.... Then we can entertain  
  
ourselves." She licked her lips in his direction again, and pulled  
  
out a match, striking it against the side of the box.  
  
She dropped it on Rei.  
  
And the petrol she'd summoned to splash over the senshi caught  
  
alight....  
  
And the only thing that went through Rei's mind was that she   
  
was on fire. The pain was immediate and immense. Her flesh seared  
  
and burnt. She felt her eyes fried from their sockets and could no   
  
longer see. All she could hear was her screams, the Youma's   
  
laughing, and the roar of the flames.  
  
The flame. The flame the flame the flame the flame.  
  
Be one with the flame....  
  
The Youma turned from Rei's burning body when the senshi   
  
stopped screaming, and ignored Jadeite's babbled expressions of  
  
grief. Minako stared at her, holding her badly-wounded midsection,  
  
blood running from her mouth. Horror entered the blond-girl's eyes  
  
as the Youma closed in on her.  
  
"Don't wanna die...." She thought. "Oh please...." Then she  
  
noticed something behind the Youma. The flames emanating from where  
  
Rei had been were rising, as if standing.  
  
The Youma saw Minako's eyes widen in shock, staring past her.   
  
She turned, just in time to be enveloped in fire.  
  
The Youma was sent flying through the air, alight, like a   
  
flaming arrow. Oops, she thought, forgot Rei was a senshi of fire.  
  
She crashed through several houses, everything around her catching   
  
alight immediately.  
  
Jadeite felt the force holding him to the ground receding, and  
  
sat up. Both he and Minako were witness to an astounding sight. A  
  
figure of fire, charging after the Youma like a spirit possessed.  
  
Jadeite stepped over to Minako, kneeling beside her and   
  
lifting her head into his lap.  
  
"Well..." He said. "That was a most surprising development."  
  
She tried to speak, but instead began to cough, and he shook his   
  
head. "Don't, you'll only make things worse."  
  
"Ow. Owie!" Came a voice from behind him as a bedraggled  
  
Asteroid Senshi collapsed from the front of the house where she had  
  
been knocked, rubbing her head. She surveyed the destruction of the  
  
scene around her. "Hey, anything happen whilst I was gone?"  
  
Jadeite felt like sending his best energy blast in her   
  
direction at that moment, if he'd had enough energy to send one.   
  
"So pleased to see you, too." He muttered under his breath. She  
  
came trotting over, almost skipping.  
  
"Ah, I see Sailor V is almost snuffled." She chuckled.   
  
"That's what you get for living a hedonistic lifestyle. You really  
  
should take better care of yourself."  
  
"V...VesVe..." Minako croaked. "Get... fffucked!"  
  
----o  
  
A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM  
  
Naru sat on the floor of the gym, dressed in her school sports  
  
uniform, wondering how it was she'd gotten there. She looked around  
  
for a few moments. There certainly didn't seem to be anybody else  
  
about. It was also quite dark.  
  
Slowly, she got to her feet. "Hello?" She said, almost in a  
  
whisper. "Anybody about?"  
  
There was a soft, feminine chuckle, and she turned to the far  
  
end of the gym, searching for the source.  
  
Suddenly, the floorboards of the gym began to crack, and   
  
flowed like waves from the far end towards her. She jumped and  
  
somehow managed to avoid being ripped open by one as it flew past,  
  
sharp edges flowing in her direction.  
  
Another wave flowed in, this time from the opposite direction.  
  
She jumped to avoid that one, but it managed to slash her across the  
  
leg.  
  
"ITAIIIII!" She let out a cry as a third wave flowed her way.  
  
She held her bleeding leg and stared at it helplessly, knowing she  
  
wouldn't be able to get away from this one.  
  
A figure leapt in front of her and took the force of the wave.  
  
Naru cringed as splinters flew past her, then looked up as a man  
  
turned to her. A man with long white hair, who looked familiar.  
  
"L.... Lord Astute..." Naru gasped. He smiled. Her heart  
  
went all googly, as did her eyes.  
  
"I see you're having a bit of bother with this evil demon,   
  
Naru-chan. Allow me to get rid of her for you."  
  
Astute, dressed in an elaborate white cloak, pulled a hood  
  
and mouth mask across his head and face, and charged forward.  
  
"Demonic beast, show yourself." He cast a beam of light at  
  
the far end of the gym, and the small figure of a young woman came  
  
into view. Naru's eyes opened wide with recognition.  
  
"A..... AMI-CHAN?!?!?!?!?!?"  
  
Ami snarled as Astute rounded on her, the blade of a sword  
  
hidden within his cloak flashing out, glinting in the light he  
  
created. Ami leapt high into the air to avoid the blade, landing  
  
in the middle of the gym.  
  
"Freak of the Silver Millenium..." Ami screeched in a voice   
  
Naru had never heard her use before. "I shall have this girl's   
  
energy in the name of the Dark Moon Kingdom."  
  
"Yes? Just you try, and see what will happen." Astute stood  
  
tall, a smile hidden under his mask as he leant the blade of his  
  
sword on the floor. Ami frowned, not understanding his actions.  
  
Neither did Naru.  
  
"Human FOOL!" Ami turned and leapt at Naru. With her injured  
  
leg, Naru was unable to avoid her, and was grabbed around the throat  
  
with both hands. Instantly, Naru could feel all her lifeforce being  
  
drained from her. She let out a short cry as Ami cackled madly.  
  
Then there was an explosion, and Ami let out a cry of surprise  
  
before being enveloped. The gymnasium disappeared from Naru's view,  
  
and she fell down a vortex, disappearing into the eye.  
  
----o  
  
LIMBO - A SWIMMING POOL  
  
Usagi had put on the only swimsuit she could find in the   
  
backpack she had acquired by means unknown. A small yellow two-  
  
piece, but it sufficed. Nobody but Siren was going to see her in   
  
the thing, anyway. Despite her extravigant nature, at times, she  
  
hated being too much the center of attention.  
  
The pool was quite large, which surprised Usagi. When Siren  
  
asked her if she'd like to go swimming, she didn't expect to find  
  
the National Olympic Stadium in the back of the Bed and Breakfast  
  
she and the Animates had chosen.  
  
Siren had been slowed down somewhat. Having to detransform  
  
from Sailor Aluminium Siren slowed her getting ready. And Siren   
  
looked so excited about the prospect, too. But then, if what Siren   
  
had told her was true, her world was predominantly aquatic. Any   
  
opportunity to immerse herself in a large body of water would   
  
probably have been grabbed with both hands.  
  
Usagi knelt beside the pool and touched the water with her  
  
hand. The water was cool, but not overly so. There was also no  
  
chlorine smell. From what Siren had described, the pool used magic  
  
crystals to sterilise it. Usagi just hoped the crystals didn't take  
  
her as a foreign object when she entered the water. It would have  
  
been grimly amusing if the both of them were to jump in, only to get  
  
zapped by the pool cleaners.  
  
She sat on the side of the pool and immersed her legs.   
  
Kicking them, she splashed water about, wondering about things   
  
absently. Things like, why they had swimming pools in the   
  
afterlife. What the hell was she here for, anyway? Were she and  
  
the Animates really dead?  
  
She dropped herself into the water and held her knees, staying  
  
there for several moments before the need for air got the better of   
  
her. Slowly, she rose to the surface and took a breath. The one  
  
downside to swimming.... Drowning.  
  
She heard another splash and looked around. At the other end  
  
of the pool there were receding ripples. Someone else had dived in,  
  
and she expected Siren to surface at any moment. It was the only  
  
person she could think of that it would be. But nobody rose to the  
  
surface, and no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't see a   
  
figure underwater.  
  
Then she felt something brush past her leg, and she let out a  
  
small exclamation of surprise. Still, she could see nothing down  
  
there. She was beginning to get rather worried, now.  
  
Something rose behind her and wrapped long, pale arms around  
  
her. Usagi let out a cry of surprise as Siren put her face up to  
  
hers. "Boo." She whispered.  
  
Usagi wrenched away from Siren and turned to her, pushing  
  
herself back. "Hey! That scared me. Its not funny."  
  
Siren smiled and dove underwater again. Almost immediately,  
  
her form disappeared and Usagi spun from side to side, trying to  
  
find the Animate. She felt Siren brush past her right, then past  
  
her left. The speed at which Siren was moving and turning was  
  
incredible. There was no doubt about it, Siren was an aquatic  
  
beast.  
  
Then Usagi felt those arms around her again, and was dragged  
  
underwater. Here, she could see Siren. A ghostly pale figure  
  
highlighted by two dark eyes. Siren smiled, holding Usagi down,  
  
and floating over the top of her. For a moment, Usagi thought Siren   
  
was trying to drown her, until she realised that she wasn't   
  
suffocating.  
  
"That's good..." She heard Siren's voice, somehow passing  
  
through the water. "As long as I have hold of you like this, you  
  
won't need to surface for air."  
  
"Glurble?" Asked Usagi.  
  
"Why?" Siren looked at her and Usagi nodded. "Well, I'm  
  
capable of making others compatible with my biosystem when   
  
underwater as long as they keep in contact with me."  
  
"Glug glug glurble glug glug." Usagi commented.  
  
"That's ecchi, you silly blond-haired bint." Siren huffed as  
  
Usagi grinned. "If you're not careful, I'll shut the link off."  
  
"Glurg glurble glug." Usagi frowned at her. Now Siren was  
  
grinning.  
  
"Yes, I would dare, actually." Siren took a stronger hold of  
  
Usagi and kicked off. "Hold on, here we go."  
  
Usagi had never experienced anything like it, travelling   
  
underwater at great speed. She thought they were going to strike  
  
the other wall, when suddenly they made a double left turn and were  
  
racing back down the pool the other way. They repeated the effort  
  
when they reached the bottom end.  
  
"You know the great thing about you being down here, with me,  
  
like this, Usagi? Nobody can see you, either."  
  
"Glug?"  
  
"Its a defensive mechanism our species developed. Protected  
  
us from other beings in both the air and the water. And as long as  
  
I'm holding you, you've got it, too."  
  
"Glurg..." Usagi was impressed.  
  
"By the way, you know we can talk telepathically?"  
  
"Why didn't you say that before?" Usagi thought.  
  
"I wanted to see if you could work it out for yourself."   
  
Siren smiled as they began to zigzag up the pool and back. "Guess  
  
what? You failed."  
  
"GLUG!" Usagi cursed.  
  
"My my, such language."  
  
Usagi gurgled a huff and looked down at the tiles on the   
  
bottom of the pool. It was great how her underwater vision had also  
  
improved. Then something occured to her.... If all she could   
  
really see of Siren were her eyes, then....  
  
She looked back up at her companion, her mouth opening wide.  
  
"You're NAKED!" She thought. Siren chuckled.  
  
"You didn't really expect me to swim with CLOTHES on? That's  
  
just for pathetic non-Mherrians like you."  
  
Usagi gurgled a silent prayer.  
  
----o  
  
LIMBO - A HOTEL  
  
Madame Scorpia entered her private quarters, having managed to  
  
excuse herself from the banquet she had been holding. Important   
  
business, she said.  
  
Well, wasn't time to yourself important? She reasoned.   
  
Mistral seemed especially happy to let her free of her commitments.  
  
She could always rely on him to handle things. Most of the time,  
  
anyway.  
  
The room was as dark as the night outside. She was glad for  
  
small mercies. She always had a problem with the light. A kind of  
  
photosensitivity. She stretched, wondering whether she should hire  
  
one of the boys for the night. Not that she needed to hire any,   
  
they tended to ask how high when she told them to jump.  
  
She kicked off her high-heeled shoes, glad to be rid of the  
  
tortuous glamour devices, then threw her fur coat onto the bed,  
  
slowly walking towards the window. She looked down at the street  
  
below. The traffic in the main street of this town never really  
  
died off. It was, after all, the last port of call for many   
  
travellers on the main roads through central Asia. She loved the  
  
bustle of people. There was an element of voyeuristic thrill  
  
about standing here and watching the world go by. Entire soap  
  
operas can occur on the street below, many of which have their  
  
conclusions out of sight. It was up to her imagination how they  
  
finished.  
  
She heard a soft wolf whistle from behind her and she spun.  
  
"Who is it?! Who is there?" She stared into the darkness, and  
  
saw a figure, dressed in a 1920's style gangster suit, complete  
  
with hat and coat. The figure stepped forward, and she could see  
  
long reddish-brown hair.  
  
"My name is not important." Said the woman, quietly. Scorpia  
  
licked her lips, nervously.  
  
"What are you doing in my private quarters?"  
  
"Checking to see if what they say about your figure and   
  
fashion sense is correct." The woman hmmmed appreciatively at   
  
Scorpia's long red evening dress, cut off at the side. "Niiice."  
  
"I'm warning you, if you don't get out then you will be in for  
  
a rough ti..." Scorpia felt the business end of a pistol pressing  
  
against the side of her head.  
  
"We're not here for that." Said another female voice, much  
  
squeakier than the first. Scorpia managed to look aside at the  
  
holder of the weapon. Another young woman, with black hair tied  
  
back severely, wearing a sharp but casual suit, smiled at her. The  
  
girl's top lip was cleft slightly, like the top lip of a cat. Then,  
  
suddenly, she recognised the girl.  
  
"YOU! You girls...."  
  
"Ah, I think she recognises us at last, Crow." Nyanko purred.  
  
Crow chuckled and pulled a cigar from her pocket, looking at   
  
Scorpia.  
  
"Don't mind if I smoke? Didn't think so." Crow pulled out  
  
a lighter and lit the cigar, breathing in the fragrant smoke for a  
  
few moments, then releasing it into the air. "Mmmm... Nice cigars  
  
you have here, Madame Scorpia. Or should I say Arachne Esseth   
  
Acrinimion. That IS your real name. I mean, not any of the   
  
pseudonyms you've gone by in the last few years...."  
  
"So? So what if it is my REAL name?"  
  
"Hmm.... We saw your face on a little flyer, sitting on the  
  
table of the B and B we're staying at." Nyanko smiled at her.  
  
"Yes, very interesting little flyer. It said something like  
  
'Wanted - For Crimes Against the State', or something like that."  
  
"A flyer? Like that? In this town?" Scorpia laughed. "They  
  
can post around all the flyers they like. In this part of their  
  
little kingdom, I am the law." Scorpia shrugged off Nyanko's pistol  
  
and stepped towards Crow. "What do you want?"  
  
"We want to show you something. Something you either do or  
  
don't know about. Something that has to do with your business...."  
  
"And what might that be then?"  
  
The door to the room opened slightly, and a small face,  
  
wearing shades and a hat, peered in. "All's clear." Mouse said  
  
quietly.  
  
"What? All the way down?" Crow turned to her.  
  
"What do you think I am, incompetent?" Mouse sniffed with  
  
bruised pride.  
  
"It has not been unknown." Crow turned back to Scorpia as  
  
Mouse muttered alien obscenities. "Come with us."  
  
"And what if I don't want to go with you?"  
  
"My associate here kills you." Crow pointed the cigar at  
  
Nyanko, who chuckled softly. Arachne turned to her, then shrugged.  
  
"Let us go, then."  
  
----o  
  
A DREAM WITHIN THE KEEP  
  
Naru opened her eyes and stared across a flat black marble   
  
floor. She moved her injured leg, to find itself no longer injured.  
  
Nor was she wearing her gym uniform anymore. Instead, she was   
  
swathed in the robes of Tranquility, her brown hair flowing from her   
  
scalp like a mane, kept in place by rings and jeweled chains.  
  
Slowly, she sat up, taking a look around her. She was in a  
  
round chamber with high walls, reaching up to a darkened dome of red  
  
and black tiles. All the walls were the same colour as the floor,  
  
and had the occasional doorway leading into further darkness.  
  
She turned to the centre of the room, where several stairs   
  
lead to a small round dais. On these steps sat a figure, in blue  
  
and black robes, hunched over, holding a staff. The figure appeared  
  
to be asleep.  
  
Softly, Naru got to her feet, watching the figure warily. It  
  
looked like a woman, long hair running out from under the hood of   
  
the robes. For a moment, Naru contemplated the possibility that,   
  
whoever it was may be dead. It was only under close scrutiny that   
  
Naru could see the figure was breathing.  
  
Naru padded over to the figure slowly, stopping about five  
  
feet from her. Still, the figure made no move to acknowledge her  
  
existence. For a few moments, Naru contemplated prodding the   
  
person. She chided herself, a simple hello would probably have  
  
sufficed.  
  
The figure's head rose. Slowly, deliberately. Naru was  
  
struck by two eyes of piercing blue, staring right into the heart  
  
of her very soul.  
  
"Who are you?" The figure asked. A woman's voice, thought  
  
Naru. Well, at least that's one thing cleared up.  
  
"I... I ah..."  
  
"Who are you? You shall answer the question."  
  
Naru felt herself being controlled. "I am Osaka Naru...  
  
Tranquility Khurishnaan.... Osaa... Tra... Ah ah ah ah...."  
  
"Enough of your babbling." The woman stood, tall and   
  
imposing. "What do you want? Why are you here?"  
  
Again, Naru felt the answers being forced from her throat.  
  
"I want to go home. I don't know how I came to be here."  
  
"Really?" The woman said with manic, wide-eyed amusement.  
  
"A plaything of Galaxia, then? Trying to test my will and resolve?"  
  
"Ga...laxia?" Naru stammered. The woman raised an eyebrow,  
  
pulling the hood of her robe from her face, revealing her deep blue-  
  
black hair, tied up in a single ring. Naru recognised her   
  
immediately.  
  
"Naiad-sama!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Naiad-sama. Thank KAMI you're here."  
  
"Who is this... Naiad-sama?"  
  
Once more, Naru was forced to answer. "YOU are."  
  
The woman shook her head. "No. You are wrong. I am not,   
  
have never gone by the name of, Naiad." She rose her head regally,  
  
stepping forward, placing a hand under Naru's chin. "I am MILLENIA,  
  
Empress of the Homeworld."  
  
Naru shivered at the woman's touch. Despite the gentleness,   
  
the sensation felt like razors, scratching for her throat.  
  
"You are afraid of me? Good." Millenia smiled. "I like   
  
people to fear me. It means I can be left ALONE."  
  
"But you LOOK like her."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Naiad Keth Drutein. A Miko of the Silver Millenium of the   
  
Moon Kingdom of Sol." Millenia looked at her strangely, then   
  
smiled.  
  
"An interesting concept. I think I'll give that life a try.  
  
Naiad Keth Drutein, you say? An impressive name. I shall take it  
  
as mine and live the life of this girl. It has been a long time  
  
since I have been in body."  
  
WTF, thought Naru.  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
and again  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
END OF PART 14  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Notes  
  
And finally, this chapter is released. It only took me a month to  
  
write. 'Course, I was on holiday for most of that month.... ^_^  
  
Once more, even at this late stage, the story is going off on little  
  
tangents. Ones that should have been expected, if you were reading  
  
carefully. But then, most of my writing tends to be as clear as   
  
mud, so don't feel bad if you missed things. ^_^  
  
Chapter 15 - Out of the Blue II, Naru discovers the dark history of  
  
the Dark Empress, and just how many lives, apart from Naiad, she has  
  
lived, and why she has decided to latch onto Setsuna as a sister.  
  
As well, Galaxia, Sentinel and the Starlights wake up an army of  
  
senshi... In the millions....  
  
DDFA darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
1st Feb 1998 


	15. Part 15: Out of the Blue II

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 15  
  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
IRC: Mappy on DALnet's #AJAS  
  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so  
  
these characters really belong to them, except ones I made up. You  
  
know who they are! They're the ones that run around doing bad   
  
things to the original cast. ^_^ Well, most of them, anyway.  
  
Part Fifteen  
  
Out of the Blue II  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
MILLENIA - THE MIND  
  
I bleed. For the hearts and minds of the losers of the   
  
universe. And that is, for all of us.... For we are all losers,  
  
and the greatest of all is the one who realises this and does  
  
nothing to change it.  
  
I bleed. From wounds too great to heal. I want to be loved  
  
and hated all in one. The weapons I use against others only proceed  
  
to hurt me more. Soon it will end, and then it will begin again.   
  
Those for whom I care about the most will face my wrath.  
  
I bleed. From eyes with tears of self-pity and self-hatred.  
  
There is nobody who could care about someone whose exterior is so  
  
thin the merest pinprick of contempt causes wounds more akin to  
  
a dagger, a sword. And the pain lasts far far longer.  
  
I bleed. For too long. Perhaps it is time to change but I  
  
cannot change for I am without the desire and without the desire  
  
there can be no change. Thus comes the onset of decreptitude, the  
  
rotting remains of a soul that has never known happiness.  
  
Since time began. And for some period before that.  
  
There is no death for me.  
  
----o  
  
THE MOON, RUINS OF THE PALACE - THE RECENT PAST  
  
The young-looking woman walked across the surface of the moon,   
  
digging through the remains of the civilisation that once existed   
  
there. She wondered aloud why she was doing this. What could she   
  
possibly have hoped to find in this permanent state of death? She   
  
looked up at the living world beyond, and saw merely the same death,   
  
on an almost equal scale.  
  
She had been here some three hundred years.... By the   
  
measurements of this world's orbits. So strange, the cold darkness  
  
that existed here today, where once there was warmth and life in  
  
abundance. But then, that was the way of things. Even with the  
  
possibilities of persistent death and rebirth, the silence of the  
  
playgrounds of the soul remained forever. And sometimes even   
  
longer.  
  
She listened to the silence for there were no sounds here. It  
  
was something she had become used to. Despite the life that existed  
  
in the universe, there was only one REAL absolute.... Silence. But  
  
each place had a different kind of silence, and she had travelled  
  
from place to place to experience them.  
  
She had come here to experience the silence of the dead. The  
  
wailing of the spirits that had been sacrificed in this place and  
  
had not the opportunity to be reborn. Some didn't know they were   
  
dead. Some even refused to believe it. She ignored them all.  
  
Spirits that do not wish to progress from one location and one  
  
lifetime held of her no interest.  
  
Yet this spot, near the centre of the ruins of the palace  
  
citadel, there was potential. It was the silence of potentiality!  
  
Something was going to happen here, it just needed a little push  
  
to get it moving. And so, she began to dig. With her bare hands  
  
she moved foot after foot of dry, wasted dust.  
  
And there she found them. Four glowing spheres.  
  
----o  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
and again  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
Shadows of shadows passing  
  
----o  
  
TOKYO - THE DAWN  
  
Blood spewed over the horizon. Night was ending and the  
  
day began in a mockery of gory death.  
  
Usako watched the sunrise. Thoughts ran through her mind...  
  
Strange thoughts for an Usagi. Or an Usagi clone, as she was. She  
  
had failed the test of what made a true Usagi, because of the way   
  
she thought.... She was not lazy, klutzy or easily distracted. She  
  
found reading even the most complex texts a simple task. She learnt  
  
approximately twenty years worth of education in the space of two  
  
weeks. And above all, she was more level-headed and poised than  
  
any Usagi really deserved to be. In short, she was Serenity reborn.  
  
Only, those at the Usagi Production Plant weren't looking for  
  
Serenity reborn. They were looking for the one true Tsukino Usagi.  
  
The Super Sailormoon Deluxe Model, no less.  
  
And so, her file was marked "reject", and she was sent out  
  
into a lonely existence amongst her own kind.... To live in a  
  
society where everyone shared your face, and a great many of your  
  
attributes. But she was too different. Her serious personality,  
  
her sensitivity.... She would often be insulted by being called an  
  
Ami.... Whilst the other senshi were singularly adored and despised  
  
amongst Usagi society, to be compared to one was an immense insult.  
  
Over the space of many months, she was ostracised.  
  
Then one day, a flyer came through the letterbox of her   
  
humble, run down apartment. It was for the Tomoe and Aino Usagi  
  
Extermination Agency.... An organisation, apparently set up by two  
  
original senshi, to euthenise Usagis who no longer felt a desire to   
  
live.  
  
Fate had a strange way of wandering into one's life, she   
  
thought to herself as she followed her companions through the  
  
abandoned streets of Tokyo, avoiding the multiple and growing fires  
  
that were raging across the city, various groups of soldiers   
  
wandering aimlessly, media on their way to being arrested and the  
  
occasional barricade set up by some loopy fringe group, using the  
  
chaos created by the dimensional rift above, and the Resonator as an  
  
excuse to thug on anyone who happened by.  
  
Usako hated it. She hated the chaos, the wanton destruction.  
  
Why did people do these kinds of things? It was.... It was so  
  
stupid. Wasn't it better to create than to destroy?  
  
She felt herself being taken by the arm and pulled back behind  
  
a wall by Usashin.... An Usagi clone who seemed, somehow, to have  
  
found a logical, individual existence for herself. She looked along  
  
the wall.... Sailors Jupiter, Pallas and Juno, Aosagi and that   
  
Akunatsuka Kaji person were leaning against the wall, listening   
  
carefully.  
  
She heard footsteps and shouting, on the other side. Then   
  
there were gunshots and screams. Then.... Nothing. She felt the   
  
nauseating sensation of death creeping over her... Not her own, but   
  
that of others. She'd always felt the deaths of others, like some   
  
link she had to the living.  
  
For a few moments she thought she heard a voice, and turned up  
  
to look at the sky.  
  
"Usa...shin..." She mumbled, pulling on her sleeve. Usashin  
  
hushed her to be quiet, but she began pointing. "Usashin, look,   
  
above us." Usashin turned to her, then up.  
  
"Oh shit!" Usashin heard Aosagi mutter behind her.   
  
"Destroyers." Usashin nodded.  
  
"They're going to be trouble."  
  
Sailorjupiter looked up, blinking dumbly. "What? Those big  
  
black floating things?"  
  
"Indeed." Usashin frowned. "They mean to destroy anything  
  
that appears to be the Eternal City."  
  
"Namely Tokyo."  
  
"They do not differentiate between the two." Usashin frowned  
  
grimly.  
  
Usako shivered slightly as Usashin motioned her along. For a  
  
moment more, she thought she heard that voice. It was calling out   
  
to her... No, not just to her, to anyone who would care to listen.  
  
----o  
  
Haruka stood on the edge of the open doorway to Setsuna's  
  
apartment, gripping the railing at the top of the stairs, watching  
  
and waiting for the others' return, growing more anxious all the   
  
time.  
  
"You look tense." She almost spun and lashed out at Mamoru,  
  
who was standing an intelligent distance away. She relaxed almost  
  
instantly.  
  
"I am. They should have been back by now. All they were   
  
supposed to do was collect Hotaru." She coughed. The air outside   
  
was so laden with smoke that it made it somewhat hard to breathe.  
  
"You should come inside. The fires are quite numerous. I  
  
could feel my throat constricting as soon as I came near the door."  
  
"I want to be here. I want to see...."  
  
"If Michiru is alright?"  
  
Haruka's lips were quivering. Mamoru nodded and Haruka turned  
  
around again, trying to hide her expression from him.  
  
"Mamo-chan, what's happening?" Mamoru turned aside to the   
  
blond-haired figure. His heart skipped for a moment as he reminded  
  
himself that this was Chibiusa, not Usagi. The real Usagi was....  
  
The young girl had shed herself of the clothes that had come with   
  
the 4P Usagi model and was wearing something she'd dragged out of   
  
Setsuna's closet. Naturally, it looked like a tent on her.  
  
"It's nothing, Chibiusa. I'm just talking to Haruka."  
  
"There's lots of smoke in the air. Shouldn't we close the   
  
door?" Chibiusa pointed to the broken hinges. "Or, at least, put  
  
something up to stop the smoke getting in?"  
  
"In time. How is.... You know.... Usagi?"  
  
Chibiusa huffed, looking away sulkily. "I suppose she is   
  
okay. She's with that other Usagi woman, lying on the sofa."  
  
"Who? Katsuragi-san?"  
  
"Whatever she wishes to call herself. Did you know she wears  
  
a blond wig? Her hair is black!" Chibiusa sniffed. "And she's  
  
scoffing down all the beer from Setsuna's fridge. Luna's giving her   
  
the lecture of her life."  
  
"She has BLACK hair?" Mamoru looked at Chibiusa for a few   
  
moments. "I never knew that. She hid it well when I hired her."  
  
Chibiusa chuckled. "She keeps telling Luna she sounds like  
  
an Akagi person she knows."  
  
"Hmmm... Akagi Ritsagi... The chief of research back in the  
  
factory. I wonder what happened to her...." He gazed off into the  
  
distance, then looked back at Chibiusa, who had begun cuddling up to  
  
him in a manner that made him uncomfortable.  
  
"Uhh... Chibiusa... Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Yes, Mamo-chan?"  
  
"Do you know what happened to Usagi?"  
  
For some reason, Haruka flinched and did her best to look like  
  
she was deliberately distant. Chibiusa looked down, nervously.  
  
"I would have asked someone else." He continued. "But nobody  
  
around here seems willing to talk about it...."  
  
Chibiusa pulled herself away from him, and stepped back into  
  
the doorway, gazing inwards. "I'm... Not certain. Things have  
  
been pretty confusing over the last couple of days for me." Days?  
  
She thought to herself... How about months... Ever since I found  
  
out... that Usagi wasn't....  
  
Mamoru bit his lower lip. So even Chibiusa wasn't willing to  
  
say anything. Usagi.... The REAL Usagi, was lying comatose in the  
  
middle of Setsuna's apartment, and nobody would tell him why. From  
  
Haruka, he expected as much. The both of them had not always been  
  
the greatest of conversationalists. Together, anyway. Maybe it was  
  
a man kind of thing. Then he checked himself... Haruka wasn't a  
  
man. Although she often seemed like it, she wasn't. Their   
  
relationship had been, for most of the time, pretty good, although  
  
there was never anything deep about their interaction.  
  
Chibiusa, however, had been a different matter. She WAS close  
  
to him, and had the guiless tendency of all children to spout   
  
immense amounts of socially-unairable thoughts before the brain had  
  
managed to select a gear and shut down the verbal mill. For her not  
  
to say anything about something she knew... And he could TELL she  
  
was hiding something... Then it must be pretty heavy stuff. He  
  
decided to let it keep for now.  
  
Haruka let out a small cry of surprise. With a flash of   
  
light, Mamoru and Chibiusa heard something land at the bottom of the  
  
stairwell, with a pair of recognisable voices saying "Itaaaiiii!"  
  
"Hotaru! MICHIRU!" Haruka flew down the stairs and grabbed  
  
Michiru around the neck as the blue-haired young woman picked   
  
herself up, causing them both of them to fall back on top of Hotaru,  
  
who had only just made it onto her hands and knees, puffing heavily.  
  
"Hoya! Will you two stop that and get off me. I'm still a  
  
young, impressionable sort, you know."  
  
"Oops!" Haruka lifted both herself and Michiru from Hotaru,  
  
giggling. "Sorry about that Hota.... Hotaru-chan?!?!?!"  
  
"What?" Said the tall, thin young woman in the dark green  
  
minidress, holding the Time Key. Michiru shook Haruka's shoulder.  
  
"It'd take too long to explain. We've got to help Setsuna."  
  
She gestured to the third form, lying beside them. The woman was  
  
dressed in her casual skirt and blouse, but both were bloodied  
  
from wounds to her belly. She looked to be semi-concious, but it   
  
was hard to tell. Haruka opened her eyes wide.  
  
"What happened to her?"  
  
"We bumped into some JSDF special forces. Needless to say,  
  
they were less than friendly."  
  
"Is she.... Is she badly..."  
  
"I did my best to heal her." Hotaru snapped her fingers,   
  
and the Time Key disappeared. She then took Setsuna by the   
  
shoulders as Mamoru and Chibiusa slowly descended the stairs,  
  
aghast at Setsuna's condition. "But my powers were pretty weak  
  
at the time. Now they're regenerating. It might take a while  
  
before they're useful again."  
  
"So, uh, Hotaru... Why were you carrying the Time Key?"  
  
"Someone had to use Pluto's powers to transport us back here.  
  
It certainly wasn't going to be Setsuna."  
  
"Yeah, and we went all over town, too." Michiru huffed as she  
  
detransformed from Neptune. "You'd think that, transferring some of   
  
Setsuna's powers over to you would, at the very least, bring with it   
  
the instructions on how to use them."  
  
"Well, I'm sooooo sorry. Maybe I should ask for my money   
  
back." Hotaru gritted her teeth. "Will one of you just help me get  
  
Setsuna into the apartment. We can't leave her here."  
  
Mamoru brushed past Haruka and Michiru and grabbed Setsuna's   
  
legs, lifting her off the ground. "When we get inside..." He   
  
gasped as he felt Setsuna's weight. What the hell had she been   
  
eating, lately? "....I want an explanation for all this, young   
  
lady." He looked at Hotaru, who stuck her tongue out at him.  
  
The blood red light struck them, and they turned to the east.   
  
Dawn had finally broken over the city of Tokyo.  
  
----o  
  
Elsewhere in the city, the same dawn was watched by another  
  
pair of eyes. VesVes sighed, shaking her head. She remembered  
  
dawns like this in the past. But the past was a jumble of thoughts  
  
and times, many of them diametrically opposing each other, like   
  
lives lived concurrently. Such was the confusing nature of the  
  
existence of an Asteroid Senshi.  
  
Minako thought herself lucky to see anything at all. She  
  
wasn't feeling pain anymore, and she supposed that was a good  
  
thing. After using a handkerchief to try to stop the bleeding   
  
(rather ineffectually) VesVes had spent a good half an hour running   
  
gentle waves of energy through her hand into Minako's grievously   
  
wounded upper belly. At first, VesVes thought she might even be   
  
able to heal Minako's wound if she did this for long enough. The   
  
energy was of such a low-expense level that it more than regenerated   
  
within her than expended. Eventually, after increasing the energy   
  
slowly, VesVes realised that it didn't matter what she did, Minako's   
  
wound was....  
  
Without realising it, she had taken the inner senshi's hand.  
  
She didn't know why she was so concerned for the wellbeing of the   
  
inner senshi. Personally, she couldn't stand the bitches! For a   
  
few fleeting moments, memories of dying alone in a similar manner   
  
entered her mind. She shook them away as she and Minako watched the   
  
sunrise.  
  
"Damn that Jadeite." Minako croaked. "Why in hell did he  
  
have to go after Rei?"  
  
"Because he is stupid?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess you have a point there." Minako chuckled,  
  
then coughed. VesVes sweated slightly, squeezing Minako's hand.  
  
"Take it easy. I've sent a message to my partners. They'll  
  
be here, soon." Not soon enough, she thought.  
  
"Yeah yeah yeah, whatever you say." Minako coughed again,   
  
then looked up at VesVes questioningly. "Hoi, since when have you  
  
been getting all messed up in senshi business, anyway? I thought  
  
we'd dealt with you already."  
  
"That's because I AM a senshi, silly."  
  
"You? A senshi? Since when?"  
  
"Since our boss let us free from the crystals."  
  
Minako coughed again. "And who might your boss be?"  
  
"Naiad-sama. She saved us from our concurrent existences."  
  
"I don't understand any of this."  
  
"Neither do I. That's the problem." VesVes sighed.   
  
"According to her, when we were released of our powers, we all   
  
became two distinct beings.... The normal girls that we became, and  
  
the senshi aspect that returned to the crystal spheres. By   
  
releasing the senshi spirits, we became sailorsenshi."  
  
"So what happened before? When you four were with that dumb  
  
Zirconia person?"  
  
"Well, uh, that was an aberration. She found our crystals   
  
first. Something YOU should have been looking for, by the way. Had  
  
you done so, that whole Amazoness Quartet affair would have been  
  
unnecessary."  
  
"Well, I'm so sorry we aren't perfect. It happened to slip   
  
our minds during an event known as death." Minako coughed again, a  
  
strange expression on her face. "Oh Kami, I'm going to die again,  
  
aren't I?"  
  
"If you keep getting worked up like that, yes, that is a   
  
distinct possibility."  
  
"I don't want to die. Not again, not like this."  
  
VesVes closed her eyes and shuddered.  
  
"Okaasan..." She heard, in her mind. "Okaasan, where are   
  
you? Please, it hurts.... I'm scared, okaasan, where are you?"   
  
She opened her eyes again.  
  
"Stop being stupid. Of COURSE nobody wants to die. It kinda  
  
sucks, okay?" VesVes sneered and turned aside. "I'm surprised I  
  
have to explain such a thing to you."  
  
Minako remained silent, blinking her eyes a couple of times.  
  
Things seemed a little hazy at the moment. She then turned as she  
  
heard a large vehicle, trundling somewhere down the road. VesVes  
  
heard it, too, and turned in the same direction.  
  
An old yellow school bus rose the crest of the hill further   
  
along the road, doing no more than 10mph. The driver, seeing the   
  
pair on the road, brought the vehicle to a dead stop and opened the   
  
doors. She jumped from the driver's seat, through the doorway, and   
  
both Minako and VesVes could see it was an Usagi. But not the kind   
  
either of them had seen before. For a start, her bust size was the   
  
equivalent of Japan's GNP. She also wore a skimpy red costume that   
  
only just managed to wrap around the necessary parts of her body.   
  
Her hair was tied up in a single tail.  
  
"Oh Kami-sama! Its Sailor V, and she's hurt badly!" The   
  
driver ran forward as four other Usagi's piled out of the bus. One  
  
small one dressed in a strange nurse's outfit and cap, another   
  
dressed in a dark red-brown bunny girl like suit with pink skirt,  
  
her hair tied back in an elaborate tail with ribbon. A third with  
  
her hair held back in a headband, dressed like a sorceress with  
  
flowing cape and the last like a witch, with skimpy red costume  
  
and wide-brimmed red and black witch's hat. She even carried a  
  
broom over her shoulder.  
  
They all came forward as the busty one knelt down beside  
  
Minako, much to the two senshis' continuing disorientation. The  
  
pair were still wondering how she managed to run to them without  
  
committing serious injury to herself.  
  
"Ooohhh... How did this happen, Sailor V?"  
  
"Anoooo..." VesVes mumbled. "Who are you? Where did you   
  
come from?"  
  
"Ah, yes." The busty one scratched her head. "We sorta  
  
came from up there." She pointed up at the dimensional breach.  
  
"Dunno what happened, we were on the edge of a big bang and ended  
  
up down here, a few miles that way." She pointed back down the  
  
road. "The name's Shiranui Maisagi, by the way."  
  
"Figures." Minako muttered under her breath.  
  
Maisagi turned to her companions. "Hey, nursegirl, your   
  
powers capable of doing anything about this?"  
  
"That's Nurse Angel Usagika to you."  
  
"Yeah yeah, whatever."  
  
The Nurse Angel wandered over to Minako's side and looked at   
  
her wound as VesVes pulled the bloodied handkerchief away, screwing   
  
up her face. "It's pretty bad." She said flatly.  
  
"I can SEE that." Minako coughed. VesVes and Maisagi  
  
sweatdropped.  
  
"Yeah, well, just thought you'd like to know. No need to get   
  
all defensive about it." The Nurse Angel fell to her knees and  
  
placed a hand over Minako's wound, concentrating. After several  
  
moments, she frowned, gritting her teeth.  
  
"Blast." She cursed. "There's nothing I can do."  
  
"What?" Maisagi looked at her. "You healed all of us when we  
  
hit the ground back there." She gestured. "Saint Moon here was   
  
pretty badly hurt when she hit that railing."  
  
"Yes, but that wasn't a wound caused by magic."  
  
VesVes looked at Usagika. "What do you mean, caused by  
  
magic?" The Nurse Angel sighed and shook her head.  
  
"Whatever did this used a form of elemental energy to tear  
  
through the flesh. That energy is, temporarily, preventing healing   
  
from occuring. Not that, with a wound like that, it is likely to   
  
heal without a full-scale operation."  
  
"Maybe our magic will work on her." The sorceress said,   
  
pointing to both herself and the witch.  
  
"I hardly think your powers will. The both of you have highly  
  
destructive or exploder energies. You'll more likely blow her to  
  
ratshit." Maisagi sighed.  
  
"Just an idea." The sorceress turned and shifted on her feet,   
  
sulking. "You remind me of an old acquaintance of mine. Its a good   
  
thing you don't laugh as much."  
  
"Well, I guess there is nothing to do but take her to a place  
  
where she can be looked after." Maisagi looked at the sorceress.  
  
"Lina, can you remove some seats from the bus?"  
  
"BURST RONDO!"  
  
KABLAM.  
  
Maisagi sweatdropped as several seats exploded through the   
  
roof of the bus. "That's... uhh.. fine Lina. That'll be enough.  
  
Sae, Meimi, can you get some of that camping gear and lay it down  
  
in the space where the seats used to be?"  
  
"Okay." They said, and piled back into the bus, putting out  
  
the small fire created by Lina's spell as the sorceress blew on her  
  
finger to put out the glove, looking rather pleased with herself.  
  
"Waitaminute..." VesVes took Maisagi by the arm. "My friends  
  
are coming... They'll know what to do to help Venus."  
  
Nurse Angel Usagika shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Until   
  
the magic wears off, the only person who can cure Sailor V through   
  
magic is the person who injured her in the first place."  
  
"And that isn't very likely to happen... Sailorvesta, isn't  
  
it?" Maisagi looked questioningly at the redhead. "One of those  
  
loopy Asteroid Senshi we kept being warned about."  
  
"Who... who warned you?"  
  
"Hmm.... Dunno. Just heard lots of stories about you and   
  
your partners." Maisagi shrugged.  
  
"But.... Who in hell...?" VesVes stammered.  
  
Both Maisagi and Usagika seemed disinterested as Sae leaned  
  
out of the bus. "Everything's ready. We even aired the smoke from  
  
the bus." Sae sniffed the air. "Actually, its pretty bad out here.  
  
What's been going on? Do you normally have bonfires like this in  
  
your world?" Sae pointed to the multiple rising columns of smoke  
  
nearby and across town.  
  
"We don't have time for that, Sae." Maisagi gestured. "Get  
  
us something to carry her onto the bus. It might be bad if we move  
  
her too much."  
  
Great, thought Minako. My life's in the hands of a pack of  
  
psychotic Usagis. I'll be lucky to see breakfast.  
  
----o  
  
HOMEWORLD - SLEEPING ARMY  
  
She sighed as she wandered through the dark passages of  
  
wherever it was she had found herself, wondering if life could get  
  
any worse than it did, right at this moment.  
  
She'd woken up to find herself, lying naked, in a cold room of  
  
stone and marble. She'd spent the first ten minutes looking for the  
  
central heating, and the next ten for clothes. All she could find,  
  
after wandering in and out of small rooms that lined the passages  
  
were a couple of loose shawls and cloaks.  
  
She looked a pathetic figure in them, too. After having gone  
  
through what she had, one could expect her to be somewhat worse for  
  
the wear. If only she could accept what she'd been through as real.  
  
The passageway she'd been following ended, like many before   
  
it. Unlike the others, however, this one ended with a large set of  
  
doors, made of iron and jet. She bit her lower lip and touched the  
  
handle on the right-hand door. There was a soft chiming, and she  
  
stepped back in surprise as the doors opened automatically.  
  
The room beyond was brighter than the passageway, and she had  
  
to cover her eyes for several seconds. When she finally managed to  
  
see something, her heart skipped a few beats.  
  
The room was more like a cavern. It was HUGE. And all   
  
through it lay row upon row, stacked like produce from a factory,  
  
the naked bodies of women and men. Millions of them.   
  
Red lights shone from the ceiling at the silent horde, giving   
  
the room a sinister appearance. Slowly, she stepped into the   
  
cavern, looking from side to side to see if anyone AWAKE was waiting   
  
for her. There was nobody.  
  
She wandered into the nearest row, looking at the closest  
  
figures. Locked away in strange crystal caskets, they looked like   
  
perfectly preserved corpses, for none of them were breathing. But   
  
somehow, she knew they were alive. Alive, and ready to be released   
  
upon the universe once more.  
  
She shook her head, the information overload almost rejected  
  
by her tortured mind. She knew this to be impossible. There could  
  
be no place like this on Earth. So where was she?  
  
Slowly, she sank to the floor, sitting hunched and cross-  
  
legged. She listened quietly for any sound. There were none, save  
  
for the gentle hush of what had to be a kind of air filtering   
  
system, or air conditioning. Right now, she couldn't care if all  
  
these people suddenly woke and asked a lot of difficult questions.  
  
She was too tired to give a stuff.  
  
The silence and the dim light was beautiful to her tired body,  
  
and slowly she found herself nodding off. Until she heard the  
  
footsteps. Suddenly, she was alert. She stood again.  
  
"I sense the presence of someone who should not be here." She  
  
heard the voice from some distance away, and fell against one of the  
  
caskets to still herself. "Find her. She may be an agent of my   
  
enemy."  
  
"Yes, your most GRACIOUS majesty." Said another voice.  
  
"And do it without the sarcasm." The first voice retorted.  
  
She began to hyperventilate, looking around in panic. Not  
  
knowing where she was and why she was here did present something of  
  
a problem when it came to running for one's life....  
  
She slowly began to back herself towards the doorway to the  
  
darkened passage, trying not to make too much noise, when a figure  
  
bounded from high above, landing between her and her escape hatch.  
  
It was a woman.... No, more like a man dressed like a woman.  
  
Or a woman who had made a concerted effort to look slightly   
  
masculine in a feminine kind of way. Whatever the case, the first  
  
thing that ran through her mind when seeing the individual's taste  
  
in clothing was how remarkably similar it looked like S&M Bondage  
  
gear....  
  
"So, here you are." He/she/it said. She shivered for a few  
  
moments, then promptly fainted.  
  
Another two figures bounded into the row, staring down at her.  
  
The taller one shaking his/her head.  
  
"That was rather unsporting, Starfighter. Scaring her like   
  
that." Starfighter looked at Starmaker a moment, shrugging.  
  
"Well, you heard what her nibs said. Find the intruder."  
  
"So who is she?" Starhealer put her hands behind her head,  
  
looking away with obvious disinterest.  
  
"I didn't have an opportunity to find that out, did I? She  
  
just went plonk onto the floor as soon as I got here."  
  
"Another question, how DID she get in here? Only a few people  
  
are able to open up the chamber... Those with the powers of a   
  
Monarch." Starmaker scratched her head. "You don't suppose she..."  
  
"No, she's not." They turned to see Sentinel standing further  
  
along the row. "Although she does contain great powers within her,  
  
they are not intrinsically hers."  
  
"And how would you know, bedboy? You can see them, can you?"  
  
Starhealer huffed and stepped away from his presence.  
  
"Actually, yes, I can. Strange waves, too. Extremely   
  
disturbing. Maybe Galaxia was right, she is an agent of her enemy."  
  
"In which case, all power to her." Starmaker sneered.  
  
"That'll be enough from you two." Starfighter shook her head.  
  
She then turned to Sentinel. "I'm sorry. But the girl appeared  
  
frightened and disoriented. By the looks of things, she does not   
  
know why she is here."  
  
Sentinel nodded and stepped past Starmaker and Starhealer,  
  
kneeling down before the unconcious form, touching her forehead  
  
gently.  
  
"Her name is... Kikotsuka Aoi... She is a native of the   
  
planet Earth."  
  
"Earth?" The Starlights looked at him.  
  
"Yes, that is what I said."  
  
"The home of...." Starfighter bit her lip.  
  
"Indeed. The Princess Serenity." Sentinel concentrated once  
  
more. "She doesn't know how she got here. She doesn't even know  
  
where she is. She is even having questions about her own identity.  
  
She believes she is the reincarnation of a Miko of Earth, who goes  
  
by the name of Naiad Keth Drutein." He pondered for a moment. "I  
  
have heard that name before...."  
  
"The Witch of the Mind?" Starhealer muttered. Sentinel   
  
turned to her.  
  
"Yes, that's her." He turned back to Aoi. "But she is not  
  
her, either."  
  
"Well who the hell is she? Hekiru Shiina?" Starhealer   
  
sniffed. "She's gotta be someone, for Kakyuu's sake."  
  
"That's enough, Starhealer." Starfighter sighed. She looked  
  
at Sentinel, who had stood. "What do we do with her?"  
  
"Place her in the transport. One of you keep an eye on her  
  
for now. From what I've been able to gather from her mind, she is  
  
not a threat. Currently. Whether she remains that way is up to  
  
circumstance."  
  
----o  
  
MILLENIA - THE MIND  
  
I smile at the distress of the young woman whom I find before  
  
me. I ask myself why I know her and do not receive an immediate  
  
answer. She is beautiful, in a way. Elegant, poised and so very  
  
alive. Yet these are not merely reflections on her current state.  
  
These are memories of someone I know oh so very well, and I want to  
  
know why.  
  
I wander around the girl, who appears confused about her   
  
identity, as well as my own. She calls herself by names such as   
  
Osaka Naru and Tranquility Khurishnaan. And in her mind, this is  
  
who she is, two different aspects to the same person, borne from  
  
very different and equally interesting lives. I wish to look  
  
further into her mind, yet I am not so brave. For within that mind  
  
is the answer to my query as to why I know her.  
  
For a few moments, I consider killing her to prevent the  
  
revelation of that memory, but emotions swirl within me, sickening  
  
me at the thought. Whatever time it is that we have shared   
  
together, the feelings were strong, close. Perhaps too close for  
  
me to accept readily. And the same goes for her, for she finds my  
  
presence frightening, and not just for the reasons that most find.  
  
I stroke her face, touching an innocent who has not seen, or  
  
tasted the spoils of eternity. Unsullied by time, yet not without  
  
the kinds of sadnesses I have known. I wish to embrace her, but I  
  
do not. That would mean acknowledging feelings for her, and I hate  
  
those that I get close to. With a passion.  
  
I ask her about this Naiad Keth Drutein that she initially  
  
thought was me. I am fascinated by the details of this particular  
  
girl's life. A Miko of the Silver Millenium, in the Moon Kingdom of  
  
Sol. She tells me all that she knows of her, and of what has been  
  
happening on the capital planet of that system. It leaves me  
  
simultaneously aghast and overjoyed to hear the chaos that has   
  
ensued there. By the nature of my very position, I should do  
  
something about this.  
  
But then, I may merely make things worse. That concept is one  
  
I feel a certain... Attraction to.  
  
And then she mentions the physical fusing... Of herself, of  
  
this Naiad Keth Drutein, and of another who goes by the name of   
  
Mizuno Ami, to the element of water. When I probe her on her   
  
elemental bias, she denies that she has anything to do with water.  
  
And she is more or less correct. Her strongest elemental connection  
  
is to earth. So I wonder aloud as to the purposes of this fusion,  
  
and she replies that it was as much a mistake, a huge blunder, on the   
  
parts of both herself and of the Mizuno girl.  
  
And then she tells me that we have not yet unfused ourselves  
  
with the element, and that something very strange has happened with  
  
the Mizuno girl. Someone who had been a friend, but was acting in  
  
an insane manner, playing with past life memories as if they were  
  
there for her pleasure. I looked into her mind and saw a vision of  
  
this Mizuno Ami.  
  
Miste Kiele. Damn that monster!  
  
----o  
  
TOKYO - A ROAD LEADING INTO TOWN  
  
Minako lay predominantly on top of the bedding her newfound   
  
compatriots had set out for her. The bedding was wrapped around   
  
her, as much an effort to halt the now gentle bleeding as to keep   
  
her warm. VesVes could tell she was fading. Minako's occasionally   
  
dazed expression was getting hazier by the moment.  
  
"Okaasan..." Said the 13 year old girl, who lay dying within  
  
the citadel of the Palace. She had seen her mother only moments  
  
before, when she was struck by a monster who had come from nowhere.  
  
The girl's body had been ripped open, and she was trying to hold in  
  
her bodily organs with her hands. The monster was gone, trying to   
  
escape the attacks of another.  
  
"Okaasan... It hurts, please, help me okaasan." She turned  
  
her confused head from side to side where she lay. For a moment,  
  
she thought she saw her mother's beautiful red locks, standing over  
  
her. She reached up with a blood-soaked hand, and then....  
  
Nothing. VesVes shook herself a moment. She'd sat beside  
  
Minako when they'd managed to carry her into the bus. Not an easy  
  
task when one is trying to avoid causing further tissue and organ  
  
damage. Strange, these feelings she was getting. But then, she  
  
knew she should have expected it.... A senshi was dying, and they  
  
would all feel it within. The loss of a part of themselves.  
  
She reached out and felt for Mars, and Mercury, at that. But  
  
their senshi signatures were still tactile. They were still alive,  
  
but for how much longer? They were both weakening....  
  
The bus came to a sudden halt, and VesVes fell forward, trying  
  
not to squash Minako as Meimi fell on top of her.  
  
"Hoi, careful!" VesVes managed to pick herself up as Meimi  
  
apologised, getting up and staring out of the windows. In fact, all  
  
the Usagi's were staring out of the windows. VesVes heard the door  
  
open as Maisagi stood from the driver's seat, staring down at the  
  
armed soldiers who had blocked the road.  
  
"Can I help you gentlemen?" She leaned forward, showing as  
  
much of her ample cleavage to the three young soldiers who stood,  
  
guns poised, their gaze varying between her chest and their   
  
commanding officer.  
  
"Uh, we're with the National Front. We have taken control of  
  
this district in the name of the Crown Prince.... Uh... Emperor...  
  
Uh... Whatever. We have the right to... Uh, enter your vehicle   
  
and inspect it."  
  
"Well, you're welcome to do that, honey, just as long as the  
  
wounded innocents we are carrying don't die during your nice liddle  
  
widdle inspection."  
  
The soldier who had been doing the talking looked back at his  
  
Commander, trying to get some guidance. The Commander put a hand to  
  
his face, shaking his head sadly.  
  
"Marakade, just shoot the dumb bitches. Nobody is allowed   
  
within inner Tokyo unless they are a member of the National Front."  
  
"Is that so?" Maisagi looked at the Commander. "Lina?"  
  
"DIGGER BOLT!"  
  
Before they knew what was happening, all four members of the  
  
National Front were swimming in Tokyo Bay. Maisagi sniffed and  
  
looked back at her companions. "Sorry about that. Looks like all  
  
the loops have decided to crawl out of the woodwork now the city is  
  
in a state of disarray."  
  
She sat back in the driver's seat, closed the doors, and ran  
  
the bus through the flimsily-made roadblock. Something that felt  
  
remarkably cathartic to Maisagi.  
  
----o  
  
TOKYO - SETSUNA'S APARTMENT  
  
"Well, that's the best we can do, until we get her some proper  
  
medical help."   
  
Michiru sat beside Setsuna's bed on a small stool, dropping   
  
bloodied swabs into a small bucket at her feet with much distaste.   
  
"Any brilliant ideas from you good people as to how we are going to   
  
achieve this great feat?" She looked across the small assembled   
  
group from left to right... Haruka, Mamoru, Chibiusa, Hotaru and   
  
that drunken, black-haired Usagi who was holding the cats in a   
  
rather cruel fashion, much to their distaste. "Hotaru?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You managed to transport us back here. How about to the   
  
local hospital?"  
  
"Is it still standing?"  
  
"How should I know? Unless we go, we aren't going to find   
  
out. And until we do something with Setsuna, we're flying blind in   
  
a LOT of areas...." Michiru shivered. "I don't like everything she   
  
does or the attitude with which she does them, but I feel kind of   
  
defenceless with her in this state."  
  
"You don't honestly think being with or without Setsuna is   
  
going to matter, do you?" Haruka snorted. "There were times when I  
  
honestly believed she was working against us."  
  
"You're wrong! Puu would never do that!" Chibiusa snarled in  
  
Haruka's direction, holding up a fist. "Don't I ever hear you   
  
talking about her that way again!"  
  
"Why not? It WAS her who fired the killing blow at Usa...."  
  
Mamoru's ears picked up. He stared at Haruka, then Chibiusa.  
  
Haruka looked aside at him, nervously. Michiru and Hotaru had   
  
flinched, trying their best not to look in Mamoru's direction.  
  
Haruka cleared her throat.  
  
"Whatever the case, I have never truly trusted her. I've  
  
relied upon her, yes. She is one of us, and I suppose that's all  
  
well and good. But someone who knows the future can... manipulate  
  
people and situations...." Haruka coughed and looked away.  
  
I'AS-FU OUAHA FIWOUSSU....  
  
Mamoru shuddered. what the hell was that just now? Did   
  
Haruka just say that Setsuna.... Surely not. His head felt sore as   
  
he rubbed his eyes, then stared at Setsuna, blankly.  
  
I'AS-FU OUAHA FIWOUSSU....  
  
Chibiusa silently muttered, turning away. "I know that,   
  
but..."  
  
"But nothing." Haruka huffed, obviously annoyed. "What's   
  
wrong, Small Lady? Getting all high and mighty now you're in THAT   
  
body?"  
  
Mamoru slapped Haruka, much to everyones' surprise, especially   
  
his own. Haruka held her face, staring at him.  
  
"That... That'll be enough of that. We don't need arguments   
  
now." He crossed his arms. "Right at this moment, the City is   
  
descending upon our world, slowly but surely. I'd hate to think   
  
what would happen if something that is completely native to that   
  
dimension, carrying with it the rules and laws of the said dimension,   
  
touched down upon something equally as solid in this one."   
  
He allowed that to sink in for a bit. "Whilst we were able to   
  
enter its universe, we were but small packets of this one, not   
  
really capable of disrupting those physical laws by which the other   
  
operates. But the Eternal City is, as its name implies, eternal."  
  
GOU HOU JIOUA GOU HOU J'PAESTU....  
  
"That's impossible, though. Nothing goes on forever."   
  
Michiru frowned at him, placing her hands across her lap. She   
  
looked at Hotaru for a few moments, still dressed in the dark green  
  
minidress that she supposed represented the powers of Pluto, and  
  
wondered how Hotaru achieved the feat of changing over....  
  
Change. Maybe it would be possible for her to do the same   
  
with Haruka?  
  
EZENIEL PARAS G'PLEN... N'PTIUN SES UREI-NASU  
  
"It is if you have a universe whose fringes overlap and fold  
  
back on themselves. That is one of the laws that are incompatible  
  
with this one. Once the City touches down, both dimensions will try  
  
to merge..."  
  
GOU HOU JIOUA GOU HOU J'PAESTU....  
  
"...And they won't be able to." Hotaru finished, flatly. She  
  
rubbed her chin, thoughtfully. "An interesting prospect. Pity none   
  
of us will live as witnesses." She chuckled mirthlessly. "I   
  
wondered why the tinge of the air was different.... It already has  
  
contact with the City, and therefore that dimension."  
  
"I thought that was the smoke from the fires causing that."   
  
Haruka frowned at Hotaru.  
  
"Hardly. You're watching matter in this universe already  
  
being stressed to breaking point. The smoke isn't making it any  
  
better... Literally tons of material rising into the atmosphere,  
  
coming into contact with the city and the breach...." She paused.  
  
"Every particle, every speck of dust.... But it is not enough to  
  
upset things. We were not enough to upset things. But an entire  
  
world?"  
  
"What about me?" Mamoru's ex Chief Executive, Katsuragi Usato  
  
looked at them after putting the cats down. "I come from that   
  
dimension, myself. Why haven't things started to go kooky around   
  
me?"  
  
"Umm..." Mamoru looked around, nervously. "That's becuase   
  
you are actually fifty percent Usagi. The real Usagi, I mean. You  
  
contain her genetic makeup."  
  
"And where did you get these genes from if you've spent so   
  
long in that dimension, Mamoru? I thought it took almost all of the  
  
City's powers to swap you with the Resonator? Getting Usagi... even   
  
bits of her, would have stressed it beyond its capacity." Hotaru   
  
looked at him strangely. "And we know it didn't, so how...?"  
  
Mamoru went red-faced for a few moments, muttering something  
  
under his breath that sounded like "I can't talk about it, its too  
  
embarassing".  
  
Haruka was about to say something, when she felt a chill run  
  
through her. Suddenly, both she and Michiru lit up like Christmas  
  
trees. The others took a step back as Haruka fell against the rear  
  
wall of the room, her clothes changing from her motorcycle gear to  
  
a double aqua blue minidress, similar to that of Hotaru. Michiru's  
  
flowing dress changed into a dark blue and yellow piece of the same  
  
ilk. Michiru stared at Haruka for a few moments as her lover picked  
  
herself up from the wall.  
  
"Michiru! What have you DONE?" Michiru said.  
  
"Wh... What the hell... Haruka?" Haruka looked back at   
  
Michiru. "I just... I was just thinking... about what Hotaru   
  
did.... I never meant..."  
  
It was Luna, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed, who  
  
spoke first. "Don't tell me, Michiru, that you have transferred the  
  
powers of Uranus and Neptune?" She stared at Michiru, who looked  
  
back at her strangely.  
  
"What do you mean I did it? She's the one who did it."   
  
Michiru pointed at Haruka. Luna, as well as everyone else looked   
  
back and forth, between them.  
  
"Ano baka." Hotaru put a hand to her face. "They've   
  
transferred everything. Even the minds." She lifted her head.   
  
"Well, at least they got what they both wanted."  
  
"What would THAT be?" Michiru-Haruka shot a glance in   
  
Hotaru's direction. Hotaru returned the favour in a manner that   
  
was, suspiciously, like Setsuna.  
  
"You both managed to get into each others' bodies. I should  
  
have thought that was most obvious."  
  
"You take that back!" Michiru-Haruka stood from the stool,  
  
clenching a fist in Hotaru's direction.  
  
"Really, Haruka. You must learn to quell this anger of yours.  
  
It will do absolutely nothing to help us." Hotaru said haughtily.  
  
The Time Key reappeared in her hand and she turned to the bedroom  
  
window, obviously intent on leaving the discussion there.  
  
"You 14 year old BRAT! Just cos you've got that big, tall   
  
body now, you think you can mouth off to others...." Michiru-Haruka  
  
was about to leap across the room at her, when Haruka-Michiru   
  
grabbed her by the shoulder, shaking her head.  
  
"Don't, Haruka-chan. It's Setsuna talking." Michiru-Haruka   
  
looked at Haruka-Michiru for a moment, then back at Hotaru.  
  
"Are you trying to tell me that pair of idiots have done the  
  
same thing as us?"  
  
"It would appear so, some of the time, anyway."  
  
Mamoru, Chibiusa and Usato looked from one to the other,   
  
trying to work out who exactly was speaking there. Artemis, for  
  
his part, curled up on the bed, resigned to whatever outcome was on  
  
hand, which earned him a claw in the rump from Luna.  
  
"Don't you start nodding off at a time like this."  
  
"Well, what am I supposed to do? Ever since things started,  
  
I've been a passenger all the way." He huffed and dropped his head  
  
onto the bed, placing a paw over his eyes.  
  
"I don't wish to appear alarmist." Said Hotaru-Setsuna   
  
suddenly. "But it would appear that the City is currently the least  
  
of our problems. I would suggest that everyone fall to the floor  
  
lest they be torn to ribbons by flying glass." She turned to them  
  
and smiled. "Pretty please?" She hit the deck very quickly as the   
  
others stared out of the window. In the near distance, a big black   
  
thing was firing a needle-bomb on a portion of Tokyo. There was a   
  
large iridescent green explosion which expanded outwards.  
  
Suffice to say, everyone was on the floor in seconds, except  
  
Michiru-Haruka, who had lain over Setsuna to protect her, as the  
  
shockwave struck the window and blew it in at approximately 300   
  
miles an hour. The entire house shook violently, and made some   
  
worrying creaking noises, but that was that.  
  
Haruka-Michiru was up first, and saw Michiru-Haruka clutching  
  
her side. "HARUKA!" She cried out as the others got to their feet,  
  
to see Haruka-Michiru nearly throttling Michiru-Haruka. "You bloody   
  
IDIOT! That's MY body you're using as a human shield."  
  
"Gomen... But you were the one who switched us round"   
  
Michiru-Haruka said weakly as she pulled a small shard of glass from   
  
her side after Haruka-Michiru sat up, sulking.  
  
"Owie! That hurts...." Michiru-Haruka held a hand over the  
  
wound, which had begun to bleed profusely. Haruka-Michiru stared  
  
aside at her, feeling a little guilty, then picked up some tissues  
  
from the bedtable and placed them against the wound.  
  
"Well well well, looks like condition normal for the members  
  
of the inner circle." They turned to see a young woman with light  
  
blue hair, wearing a light blue and white sailorsenshi fuku standing  
  
in the doorway to Setsuna's bedroom. Her hair was tied up somewhat  
  
severely, with little bola-like spheres hanging on leads all the way  
  
round. Mamoru and Chibiusa recognised her immediately.  
  
"PALA-PALA?"  
  
Pala facefaulted. "Umm, yeah. Well, most of the time. But  
  
right now, I'M THE BISHOUJO SENSHI SAILORPALLAS. IN THE NAME OF   
  
PALLAS, I'M GONNA MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE A PACK OF RIGHT IDIOTS!" She  
  
giggled and put her hands out towards the window wall. "Elimination  
  
Force!" She whispered. The wall shattered into fragments. She  
  
then smiled at them as they stood, goggle-eyed at the destruction.  
  
"Sorry about that. Would you mind inserting yourselves on the floor  
  
again? What I'm about to do has this mild element of danger about  
  
it. Although you could say I'm used to this kind of thing. Did you  
  
know I once met Queen Serenity herself? I said 'Serenity' I said   
  
'you really should pick out your senshi much more carefully, they  
  
might get carried away with some of their powers, and some of them  
  
were really dangerous' and she just looked at me and said I was  
  
right, did you know that? No? Knew it."  
  
Pallas laughed out loud as the others sweatdropped. She then  
  
performed a series of handgestures, mouthing an incantation. An  
  
energy field built up around her. glowing like a blue aura. With a  
  
shout, she threw out first her right hand, then her left. Everyone  
  
scattered as concentrated beams of energy shot out from those hands.  
  
The beams flew across the gap between the window and the   
  
Destroyer, parts of which cut through the floor and the ceiling to   
  
do so.... In seconds, the beams sliced through the huge beast.   
  
Millions of litres of black blood fell upon the area below it, a  
  
veritable flood of gore whose sickly-sweet stench could be smelt   
  
even from the apartment. Then, slowly, the segments of the   
  
Destroyer fell to the ground, silent. Pallas clenched her fist,  
  
striking a dramatic pose.  
  
"HEY, am I COOL or WHAT?" She cackled maniacally, which earnt  
  
her a bop over the head from Sailorjuno, who was standing behind   
  
her. "Ouchie. What was that for?"  
  
"You're getting carried away again."  
  
"Yes, but what was that for?"  
  
Juno sighed and patted her on the shoulder. "Never mind."   
  
She said, softly. Mamoru, who had had enough of this, stood and   
  
ranged up on them threateningly.  
  
"Just what the hell do you two think you're doing here? Why  
  
are you dressed as sailorsenshi?"  
  
Pallas looked hurt. "S'cos we are."  
  
"Eh?" He stared at them. "Since when?" Mamoru put his hands   
  
on his hips.  
  
"Since always." Juno huffed. "I would have thought, of all  
  
people, Endymion, that you would have remembered the Shadow Boxers  
  
of the Senshi."  
  
Mamoru thought about it for a few moments. The term seemed to  
  
be familar to him, for some reason. He found it hard to accept,  
  
however, that these two were senshi.  
  
"I see you don't believe what we say." Juno huffed. "Be that  
  
as it may, you are going to have to trust us. Because, unless we  
  
all evacuate this house within minutes, we are all going to die.  
  
Just on the other side is another one of those things. Now, whilst  
  
I have friends dealing with it, they don't have anywhere near the  
  
sheer mindless arrogance and total irresponsibility of my partner  
  
here..."  
  
"That's Ms Sheer Mindless Arrogance and Total Irresponsibility   
  
to you!" Pallas crossed her arms. "Do something right and see what   
  
happens? You get thugged on."  
  
Juno sighed. "Look, lets just leave. Alright?"  
  
"But how are we going to get Setsuna out of here?" Michiru-  
  
Haruka pointed to Setsuna, who appeared to be stirring. Hotaru-  
  
Setsuna stepped forward.  
  
"I'll have to transport her. By myself, I don't want to try  
  
and cart more than one person with that power again."  
  
"What about Usagi.... She's still lying on the sofa..."   
  
Mamoru stared at Hotaru. Both Juno and Pallas looked at each other  
  
for a moment.  
  
"Usagi? Usagi's lying on the sofa?" Juno scratched her head.  
  
Mamoru turned back to her.  
  
"Yes. You should have seen her on your way through."  
  
"There wasn't anyone on the sofa." Pallas shrugged. "I  
  
suppose she upped and wandered away. After all, Setsuna did bring  
  
her back to life."  
  
"But I thought her soul was off with the birdies, somewhere.  
  
I mean, that's what Setsuna's sister said." Michiru-Haruka helped  
  
both Haruka-Michiru and herself to their feet, looking at the two  
  
new arrivals. "You heard her, Pala... Sailorpallas.. You were  
  
there at the time."  
  
"Yeah, well, maybe she came to and wandered off in confusion.   
  
It happens, you know?" Pallas picked her nose and snorted   
  
disgustingly, much to everyone's distaste. She smiled at the   
  
reaction. People were so easy to play with.  
  
"Can I ask you all one important question?" Mamoru looked  
  
around the room. "Why was she comatose in the first place? I mean,  
  
how did she die? Did she die?"  
  
"Mercury killed her, of course." Pallas blurted out. "It was  
  
an accident. It wasn't supposed to happen. So our boss used her   
  
body to bring Setsuna back to life, then Pluto used her time   
  
powers to bring Usagi back to life. Then, of course, this meant  
  
that our boss had to bring Pluto back to life again, since she   
  
tends to snuff it when she does things like that. Rather amusing   
  
to watch, actually.... Anyone ever seen a person turn into jelly   
  
before?" Pallas licked her lips. "Hmmm... I'll have the lime."  
  
"Who is their boss?" Mamoru looked back at Michiru-Haruka,   
  
ignoring Pallas. "Is it Setsuna's sister? Does she really have a   
  
sister?" Another thought came to him. "And is she really capable   
  
of using Usagi's powers. I thought only those born to such powers   
  
were capable of wielding them..." He stopped and shook his head.   
  
"Whatever the case, we have to find her. She may get hurt, or   
  
killed, out there. We are her senshi. It is our purpose to protect   
  
her."  
  
He couldn't, for the life of him, work out why the others went  
  
into sulking fits at this suggestion, nor why Pallas and Juno burst  
  
into laughter.  
  
----o  
  
Outside the apartment, Usako, Akunatsuka and Aosagi watched as  
  
Makoto and Usashin layed into the massive, dark, armour-skinned   
  
beast that floated ever closer to the building. Aosagi had to keep  
  
hold of Akunatsuka's arm to stop the man from running.  
  
"JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!" Crackles of energy ran across the  
  
body of the Destroyer. Welts and sores appeared across its skin as  
  
a needle missile flew from the "turrets" that ran along its   
  
underbelly. The missile landed close to half a mile away, and the  
  
trio below felt the heat of the shockwave as it blew through.  
  
"Why is it coming OUR way? Is it deliberately trying to   
  
destroy us?" Akunatsuka shivered. Aosagi turned to him,   
  
emotionlessly.  
  
"That is PRECISELY what it means to do. In its mind, this   
  
city is the Eternal City. It sees no difference between the two."  
  
Aosagi nodded. "We are, to it, the City's defenders. Therefore,  
  
before it can continue its ravage upon the city, it must destroy  
  
the defenders. But I must say, the blasts from their missiles are   
  
more effective than I seem to remember them being."   
  
Aosagi turned from him and watched as Usashin jumped from the   
  
roof of a half-ruined apartment block, crying out something. A   
  
line, a speech, whatever it was... Usashin's powers, based so   
  
heavily on the power of the noble statement, were being channeled   
  
into her sword. It glowed white with energy as the samurai warrior   
  
slashed the sword through the air.  
  
A beam of energy flashed from the sword and struck the   
  
Destroyer. The beast shook, as if in pain... Black blood gushing   
  
out as Usashin landed on its back, then leapt off over the other   
  
side.  
  
"She's wounded it badly, but its still alive." Aosagi bit her  
  
lower lip. Akunatsuka clenched his fist.  
  
"Another attack like that, and it'll be dead for sure."  
  
"Baka! Even Someone with Usashin's abilities can tire. She  
  
is attempting to recover now, on the building over there." Aosagi  
  
pointed. "The Destroyer, however, will not slow in its approach."  
  
Usako looked at the two as they watched the battle take place,  
  
shaking her head. She wondered why everyone was so intent on seeing  
  
the creature destroyed... It was dangerous, of course, but it was  
  
alive, and deserved to live.  
  
"Kill..." She heard the voice in her head. "I must kill.   
  
The collective mind... I must retain my individuality. I must  
  
retain...."  
  
"Wait..." She closed her eyes and concentrated on the voice.  
  
She reached out, knowing it to be the Destroyer instinctively.  
  
The Destroyer paused, pondering over the new voice in its   
  
mind. "Please stop." She clasped her hands together, trying to   
  
open up her mind even further....  
  
----o  
  
"What the hell is THAT?" Mamoru felt the wave of energy   
  
opening up. He staggered forward as he stepped into the loungeroom,  
  
to see if what the Asteroid Senshi had said about Usagi being   
  
missing was true.  
  
"Mamo-chan..." Chibiusa ran forward, having followed him in,  
  
and grabbed hold of his arm, steadying him. "What is happening?"  
  
"Can you feel it, Chibiusa-chan? Can you feel it?"  
  
"Feel what?" Chibiusa stared at him, questioningly. Then her  
  
own face screwed up and she let out a slight yelp. "Yeagh!"  
  
Michiru-Haruka was next in the room, looking dazed as the pair  
  
held onto each other. "What the hell.... That's the power of..."  
  
"...Serenity." Mamoru finished. "And it is coming from   
  
outside." He shook himself from Chibiusa's grasp and staggered   
  
forward. "Usagi... USAKOOOO!"  
  
----o  
  
The Destroyer had paused in its travels as waves of energy  
  
began to emanate from Usako. Peaceful waves. The effect was   
  
astoundingly calming. Both Aosagi and Akunatsuka had stepped  
  
back from her, staring in disbelief. Even Makoto and Usashin  
  
watched, waiting to see what would happen. Makoto gently ran  
  
tiny filaments of energy between her fingers, just in case.  
  
A crescent moon had appeared on Usako's forehead, and she had   
  
risen a few inches off the ground, the air around her stirred by the   
  
energies. Still, she kept her eyes closed, her hands clasped   
  
together as if she were praying.  
  
"You must STOP!"  
  
"M... Must destroy..." The Destroyer's mind seemed confused.  
  
"No! We must CREATE!" Usako's soft, pleading voice could now  
  
only just be heard over the rush of air that was all around her.   
  
Mamoru now stood from the doorway, watching her. Almost instantly,  
  
he knew it wasn't the original Usagi. But the powers that radiated  
  
from her were stronger. They were not quite the warm, protective,   
  
almost motherly powers he had come to associate with Serenity, but a   
  
more active, creative one. One that had a greater ambition, even   
  
with the same level of self-assured calmness.  
  
"DESTROY!" She heard the beast roar into her mind. Tears  
  
fell from her eyes as the beast attempted to move forward, only to  
  
find itself bowled back by the blast of energy from Makoto, who   
  
stood some one hundred metres from them in its direction.  
  
Usako felt ill. A cold sweat ran across her forehead, and she  
  
felt dizziness and nausea taking over. She had opened her mind up  
  
so widely to the beast that its pain transferred to her. She wanted  
  
to shout out to Makoto to stop, so she could again try to establish  
  
concious contact. But another blast against its flesh ended that.  
  
She closed the contact, although her powers were still in force.  
  
She heard it as a whisper, at first, but then it grew. The  
  
same voice she had heard earlier.... The one that was calling out  
  
earnestly.... The one that wanted a reply....  
  
"CREATE!" It said. "Create. Build. Give life to the dream   
  
of the future." Usako now concentrated on this new voice, and she   
  
turned.  
  
She looked up into the sky. The tendrils of the City hung as  
  
if held back, unable to move any further towards the Earth's   
  
surface. She descended to the ground and looked at it for what  
  
seemed longer but was only a few seconds. To Aosagi, Akunatsuka,  
  
Mamoru and others who had joined them outside, it seemed like a  
  
conversation was going on between her and some vague, invisible  
  
person. Then she started running from the yard.  
  
"Hey, wait! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" Aosagi went in pursuit of  
  
her as Akunatsuka stood still. Both Pallas and Juno stared from the  
  
doorway.  
  
"Where is she going?" Pallas pushed her way past her partner  
  
and leaned over the railing next to Mamoru. "Does she KNOW how bad  
  
things are out there?"  
  
Suddenly, there was a cry, and they turned to see Usashin   
  
leaping from the building she'd used to recover her energies. She  
  
swung her sword down at the beast, landed on its back, then leapt  
  
off again like the first attack.  
  
The Destroyer split in half, thousands of gallons of its black  
  
blood covering the ground below it. Akunatsuka was up onto the   
  
stairs quickly as the blood bowled over the back fence and flowed  
  
past the base of the stairway.  
  
Usashin landed back on the first building from where she'd   
  
made her first attack, and promptly collapsed forward, panting  
  
heavily. "Kami, that takes it right outta you." She got in as  
  
Jupiter landed next to her, helping her to her feet.  
  
Mamoru turned back to the Asteroids. "What's happening? Out   
  
in the streets?"  
  
Pallas turned to Mamoru. "Everyone who is vaguely smart has   
  
scattered to the four winds. That leaves every freak and nutcase  
  
roaming the streets unhindered. On our way here, we bumped into a   
  
group of militarists who saw the breach as some signal from Heaven   
  
to right the world of its wrongs..."  
  
"What did you do about them?"  
  
"Blew them into smithereens, of course. What else would we  
  
do? Sing them a lullabye?" Pallas broke into song, followed by a  
  
wallop over the back of the head from Juno.  
  
"Thanks but no thanks. This really messes things up. Hey   
  
you, Neptune-anus... Whoever you are, tell the scrawny. black-  
  
haired nymph to hold off zapping both herself and Pluto into the  
  
nether regions out in the back of nowhere."  
  
Michiru-Haruka looked at Juno darkly and turned back into the  
  
house. Juno put a hand on Mamoru's shoulder. "Sorry for my   
  
brusqueness, Endymion. It comes from a lifetime of being surrounded  
  
by morons. Well, several lifetimes, to be precise."  
  
He shook her off. "Where are your friends, anyway?"  
  
"Umm... One is off, gallivanting with various other senshi,   
  
who have the grand capacity to try and kill themselves. Venus is  
  
down for the count. Mars is missing in action. And Mercury...   
  
well, she should look up a good shrink or two...."  
  
"What? Have they been hurt?  
  
"Well, I'm quite sure they've managed to mortally wound   
  
themselves." Pallas huffed, still rubbing her head. "At least,  
  
that's what VesVes said in her last communication with CereCere."  
  
"And where is CereCere? What is she doing now?"  
  
"Well, since VesVes is stuck with a busload of Usagis, trying  
  
to get Venus to a hospital before she sheds her mortal coil, she's  
  
run off in pursuit of a guy named Jadeite."  
  
"JADEITE!" Mamoru grabbed Juno's shoulders. "HE'S ALIVE!?!"  
  
Juno shrugged him off, sniffing.  
  
"Course he's alive. He's partly responsible for the problems  
  
we now face."  
  
Mamoru clenched his fists. "He's responsible! He's   
  
responsible for what happened to my Usako!"  
  
Pallas and Juno looked at each other a moment, as if trying to  
  
suppress their laughter. They then turned back to Mamoru and smiled  
  
sweetly, nodding. Chibiusa stared at them dubiously.  
  
Mamoru growled. "I'll have him! He will SUFFER for this."  
  
Michiru-Haruka appeared at the doorway, a slight smile on her  
  
face. "Hey you two, guess what?" The two Asteroid Senshi turned to  
  
her.  
  
"Umm... Saturn has zapped herself and Pluto into the nether  
  
regions out back of nowhere?" Juno raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Yoooouuuu guessed it." Michiru-Haruka snorted as they threw  
  
their hands into the air.  
  
"Ah, bugger it." Pallas leant against the railing as she   
  
watched Jupiter helping Usashin back towards the house, trying to  
  
avoid as much as possible the leftover black goo that was sitting on   
  
the ground. "Everyone can die as far as I'm concerned. They all  
  
seem dead keen on the idea." She laughed. "HAH! DEAD KEEN!   
  
GEDDIT?"  
  
Juno walloped her again.  
  
----o  
  
OUT OF THE BLUE  
  
Naru backed away from the woman who had called herself   
  
Millenia. The woman had broken into a maddened rage for no visibly  
  
apparent reason.  
  
"MISTE KIELE! YOU DARE TO CHALLENGE I? MILLENIA, THE  
  
GREATEST SENSHI TO HAVE EVER LIVED!" Millenia held out her arms and  
  
stared around the chamber, her face alive with anger and amusement.  
  
There was a soft giggling in the background, and her face   
  
twisted. She waved a hand violently through the air, and the   
  
chamber shattered into fragments. Naru almost expected to fall into  
  
another maelstrom again, but this time she found herself on solid...  
  
Uhhh.. Void, for want of a better word.  
  
Before them stood Ami. Only it wasn't Ami. It was an older,  
  
more grizzled version. Miste Kiele, the one-time Senshi of Mercury  
  
in the Silver Millenium. And the mastermind behind the events that  
  
lead to the end of the Millenium's Miko caste.  
  
And she didn't look frightened at all by Millenia's anger.  
  
"Yes, Millenia, I challenge you. So what? You call yourself  
  
the greatest Senshi to have ever lived? Well, I guess you have   
  
lived. More times than anyone else. But I thought that title was  
  
reserved for...."  
  
"GALAXIA?" Millenia cackled insanely. "Ah yes, the almighty  
  
WHORE of the empire. Yes, I do suppose she has SUPPLANTED that   
  
title from ME!" Millenia held out her hands, rolling her fingers in  
  
a manner that suggested impatience. "So, are we going to fight?"  
  
"No." Miste smiled. "I'm going to let you kill me."  
  
That put a stop to Millenia's rage. She stared at Miste like  
  
a spoilt little girl who had been denied something. "Awww, what   
  
for?"  
  
"Because if you don't kill me...." Miste's face screwed up.  
  
"This bitch's mind is going to take over me completely."  
  
Naru watched as Miste's form changed.... Now the figure was  
  
shorter, younger. She even wore the recognisable blue and white  
  
sailorfuku that Naru recognised. "Ami?"  
  
"Can't... Let her take control again. I AM self-control  
  
incarnate. Can't let someone like her run me like that. I'm not  
  
Miste Kiele. I would never do the things she would do." Ami  
  
looked at Millenia for a few moments and smiled as she clutched  
  
her chest. "Sorry, about dragging out the Millenia bit. I'm afraid  
  
you have to... Face what you are... Who you are... And why you,  
  
throughout your lives, have felt the way you do about things..."  
  
Millenia gritted her teeth angrily. "Are you trying to   
  
psychoanalyse me or something?" She cackled. "HA! I am the master  
  
of that. I was the one that made you see yourself for what you   
  
were."  
  
"And in doing so, made me trap you in this world of the mind."  
  
Ami smiled bitterly, an element of Miste returning. her face   
  
changed back again. "So, now you know WHY you have always been such  
  
a miserable, self-obsessed, self-concious, paranoid, neurotic,   
  
obsessive-compulsive, suicidal little SHIT, what are you going to do  
  
about it, eh?" Ami clutched her chest and laughed out loud.  
  
Millenia hyperventilated angrily. Naru shivered as the woman  
  
glowed with a deep blue aura, and backed away from her.  
  
"Die, you freakish little BITCH!" Millenia held out her hands  
  
and set off a blast of energy that struck Ami in the chest. Ami's   
  
cry was cut in mid-breath as her chest tore open. Then the energy   
  
flew back at Millenia, catching the woman unawares.  
  
Millenia cried out in pain and her body began to change shape.  
  
Slowly, Naru could see the distincive form of Naiad replacing the  
  
heavier one of Millenia.  
  
Teetering on her feet, Naiad started to fall back. Naru only  
  
just managed to catch her in time before she hit the... Solid bit  
  
of void that existed below them.  
  
Naiad stared into Naru's eyes dazedly. "Tranqs? Is that you?  
  
She held onto Naru's arm. "What happened just then? What was that?  
  
Was that me?"  
  
Naru didn't know how to answer. It was kind of a quick change  
  
of aspect. Not that she hadn't experienced such rapid changes just  
  
recently.  
  
The world around them reformed into that of the school  
  
gymnasium. Naru and Naiad stared around for a few moments, not   
  
comprehending its meaning. They heard a rasping chuckle from   
  
nearby, and they turned to see the horribly wounded Ami.  
  
She was leaning against the wall, bleeding profusely from her   
  
chest, which had been shattered like the shell of a broken egg.  
  
"Ami...." Naru reached out to the girl.  
  
"No, don't stop me."  
  
"Wh... What?"  
  
"The stupid girl is REALLY going to let herself die." Naiad   
  
spat in contempt. "And everyone would call ME weak for my decision   
  
to suicide...."  
  
"Look at me. Look at how I am dying." Ami snarled between   
  
her teeth, blood running from her mouth. "This is how I was  
  
destined to die... The way Setsuna predicted."  
  
"Predictions I put into her mind." Naiad retorted.  
  
"And therefore, predictions YOU made."  
  
Naiad closed her eyes and turned. "Yes, maybe so. But I'd  
  
prefer not to see them come to true. It would seem that the   
  
decision to die is yours."  
  
"Easy for you to say." Naru stared into Naiad's eyes. "Only  
  
a minute or two ago, you would have been happy to kill her."  
  
"That's because this stupid bitch dragged out one of my former  
  
personalities. One I hope I won't have to endure again." Naiad   
  
tried to sit up, and let out a small gasp of pain. "Ow... Owowow!  
  
What in hell did you DO?"  
  
Ami snickered and coughed. "An old trick you should have   
  
learnt a long time ago. Redirect the energy of another's attack   
  
back at them. However, you received only a fraction of the blast.  
  
I didn't want to miss out on this.... pleasure."  
  
"Fool! You have a job to do. Your dying will help no-one."  
  
"I shall not return to the real world to face this in reality.   
  
You can't make me."  
  
"I won't. You shall die this way. Fool!" Naiad turned away   
  
and closed her eyes. Naru, however, wasn't so easily going to give   
  
up on Ami.  
  
"Ami... please... You can't mean this?"  
  
"I do. I can't live with what I've done."  
  
Naru watched was Ami coughed, blood flying from her mouth.   
  
"This is what Usagi would have done to me. I much prefer it if I do  
  
it to myself, thankyou very much. At least, this way, I can be  
  
absolved of some of my actions during this life."  
  
"This won't... can't solve anything."  
  
"Do you wish to die the way that was predicted for you?"  
  
Naru stared silently for a few moments. Visions of Usagi   
  
thrusting her fingers into her skull, with energy tearing through  
  
her body, came to mind. She shook her head.  
  
"No way am I going to die with you, Ami. I'll face whatever   
  
is coming to me."  
  
Ami shrugged and smiled. "Alright, face it then." Ami looked   
  
aside and smiled as she slid down the wall. "Gomen, Usagi. I'm   
  
sorry... for everything." As soon as she reached the floor, she   
  
slid sideways, falling on her side, and....  
  
....Died.  
  
Naru and Naiad watched as the world around them faded to   
  
black. And they faded with it.  
  
The water in the Mizuno's pool changed.... From clear to a  
  
deep red. The water was now blood.  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
and again  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
END OF PART 15  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Notes  
  
Mou... Hai hai hai hai hai.... Yes, I did refer to the Starlights  
  
as SHE.... But then, its so hard to tell. I tend to think of them  
  
as male when untransformed and female when they're senshi. Just a  
  
personal opinion. Even though Starmaker still looks pretty much   
  
like a guy either way, there is NO way Starhealer can be a guy as a   
  
senshi.... Mind you, you could say that Fish Eye doesn't look like  
  
a guy either. (Pulls hair out in frustration). Anyone confirm this  
  
either way? (Prepares to be inundated with opinion... Wishes).  
  
Next chapter - "Under a Blood Red Sky".... The Youma Usagi makes a  
  
proposal to Jadeite he cannot refuse. Usagi and the Animates   
  
discover the afterlife is not without its problems. Usako reunites  
  
herself with the Eternal City. And Galaxia prepares to give Usagi  
  
the ultimate choice.... Who is to live, and who is to die.  
  
DDFA darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
11th Feb 1998 


	16. Part 16: Under a Blood Red Sky

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 16  
  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
IRC: Mappy on DALnet's #AJAS  
  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so  
  
these characters really belong to them, except ones I made up. You  
  
know who they are! They're the ones that run around doing bad   
  
things to the original cast. ^_^ Well, most of them, anyway.  
  
Part Sixteen  
  
Under a Blood Red Sky  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Usako stared at the tendrils of the city as she raced for   
  
their enticing embrace. Behind her, she could hear Aosagi's voice  
  
beckoning her to stop. But she could not, would not, stop. The  
  
City... The place where she was born, beckoned to her to fulfill  
  
a destiny that nobody would have thought possible when she rose  
  
from the tanks back in the Production Plant.  
  
For the first time in her short life, she felt she had a  
  
purpose. She was NEEDED. Those moments, alone and unwanted, they  
  
were over now....  
  
Strange thoughts ran through her head that she tried to   
  
ignore. Memories of lives past lived. That was not really   
  
possible, of course. For an Usagi clone, there was no such thing  
  
as a past life.... They were nothing more than a shattered fragment  
  
of the spirit of the original. And yet, these were hard to ignore.  
  
Some of them appeared to be memories of the past. She   
  
expected that. All Usagis contained within the the thoughts, fears  
  
and emotions of the original Tsukino Usagi. But, unlike many, those  
  
memories were not something that could skipped over as a vapid by-  
  
product of Usagi's genes. Usako could remember almost everything,  
  
and then have it all disappear, only for it to return.  
  
And then there were other memories... Memories that were not  
  
memories. Memories of the future, of events that were yet to occur.  
  
She wondered about this, sometimes. Wasn't Pluto capable of such  
  
things? Her very nervous system was supposed to be attached to the  
  
continuum of time....  
  
She felt her body shivering. She normally hated the concepts  
  
of time, destiny and their duplicity. She much rathered the ideal  
  
of the free will. And yet, her creative impulses and sociability  
  
would not allow her to exercise that ideal, like a puppet with its  
  
strings being pulled in many different directions.  
  
Was she being a puppet now, allowing the Eteranl City to grab  
  
hold of her conciousness in this way... To draw her in so they   
  
could make physical contact... So they could... Become whole once  
  
more. Half of her WAS the City. Half of her WAS that collecitve  
  
mind. And perhaps that is where she truly came from. One of the  
  
collective, the gestalt, that was cast away in a vessel not of her   
  
own making.  
  
If that were so, she wanted to be a part of the collective  
  
once more, and end this existence of loneliness. Damn the other  
  
clones and their search for individuality.  
  
Several Destroyers flew overhead, casting heavy shadows down  
  
upon the scene. She didn't notice them, nor did they seem to notice  
  
her. She ran through old blockades, past burning buildings, past  
  
the wanton destruction that she so despised. The City knew what to  
  
do. The City had seen what had happened here. The City wanted to  
  
end this chaos. If that was what the City wanted, then it was what  
  
she wanted.  
  
----o  
  
Dr Mizuno smiled at the patient. Yet another survivor of the  
  
chaos that had befallen Tokyo. Now, within this small local hospice  
  
in the outlying regions of the city, she began to feel the weight of  
  
time resting upon her shoulders. She had been awake for altogether  
  
too long. There had been periods when she had spent somewhere in   
  
the region of two to three days, awake and working. It wasn't good   
  
practice, but the demands of the medical profession were such that,  
  
anyone who was even vaguely competent at their job quickly found   
  
themselves earning the overtime of a lifetime.  
  
It was different now. She'd heard stories from her parents  
  
about what it had been like during the war.... The air raids on  
  
Tokyo. She'd never thought she'd get to experience something of   
  
a similar nature. But even worse than that.... Ami was missing.  
  
In her heart of hearts, she knew she was dead. When she saw  
  
Ami fall, and literally melt, into the pool, she knew she would  
  
never see her daughter alive again. All of the strange events that   
  
followed only cemented that belief in her mind....  
  
She stepped away from the patient as a nurse pulled the   
  
bedsheet higher over his form. He had several broken ribs and a  
  
fractured jaw... Courtesy of climbing onto his roof to get a better  
  
view of the dimensional breach and everything that went with it. He  
  
was one of the lucky ones. She'd seen worse injuries that day.  
  
She entered the passageway that lead from the room. JSDF   
  
soldiers nodded to her as she strode past. Fortunately, the hospice  
  
had been under the control of a more benign element within the   
  
military, when they had attempted to regain order in the streets.  
  
She had been shipped from the inner-city hospital by them, along   
  
with everyone else there at the time, for their own protection.   
  
Roaming bands of extremists had attacked another hospital and tried  
  
to use it as a stronghold, keeping staff and patients hostage for   
  
two hours. Then that monster that had been rampaging through the  
  
city took to the hospital....  
  
There were no reports of survivors.  
  
Since then, things had not quietened down. She fell against a   
  
wall, along with the soldiers, when they heard a jet flying over,  
  
with the explosive launching of missiles. This had happened before,   
  
also. Missiles meant for one of the floating blue-black things,   
  
bouncing off its side and hurtling towards the ground. There were   
  
multiple blasts, ringing through the air. She got to her feet and   
  
continued on her way. She wondered when the UN would attempt an   
  
equally useless gesture. She had heard stories about the UN,   
  
considering a suitable course of action against whatever it was that  
  
had befallen the city of Tokyo.  
  
It would have been no philanthropic gesture. Everyone was   
  
terrified of the damn thing spreading. News pictures broadcast the  
  
breach around the world... The destruction laid down by the monster  
  
that appeared to come out of nowhere. Then these things, shooting  
  
needle-like projections that would devour an entire suburb in an  
  
incandescent blast of multicoloured proportions. Several of them  
  
had been taken down, but there were still seven or so left, and   
  
having just one up there was more than enough to frighten everyone.  
  
There was also the rain of Usagis. When the breach had   
  
occured, hundreds of thousands of figures fell from the sky. And  
  
each and every one of them was an Usagi. All were different, some  
  
in fairly shallow ways, but they all bore the same face, the same  
  
build and the same general personality. Almost.  
  
They had caused the emergency services a headache. Masses  
  
of stampeding Usagis, trying to get away from the monster and the  
  
floating things.... And, of course, being so associated with the  
  
events of the breach, some had taken to blaming the Usagis for the  
  
ensuing events. She had had Usagis in the hospital for injuries  
  
caused by frightened people.  
  
Many of the Usagis, however, had the capacity to defend   
  
themselves. Magical powers, so to speak, which didn't exactly  
  
enhance their reputation, but was enough to see them through without  
  
being harmed. She hated to think what would happen to them all   
  
after all this was over. If it would ever end positively. If it  
  
would ever end at all.  
  
She arrived at the small office area at the other end, which  
  
was empty. She sighed.... Most of the staff had taken off when  
  
things had started to get a little rough. Now the hospice was full  
  
of people, many whom streamed out into the carpark on stretchers   
  
which had been covered over with tarpaulins thanks to the efforts of  
  
one of the JSDF's more competent divisions. Not that she could   
  
describe the JSDF as competent. Military minds at work, as soon as  
  
something beyond your capacity to deal with faces you, attack   
  
everything. She'd had to help carry the body of a six year old girl  
  
away from the injured patients. She had half her head missing,   
  
thanks to the efforts of a JSDF soldier to whom she'd looked the  
  
wrong way.  
  
She stared out of the office's window at those unfortunates  
  
unlucky enough to have been injured late in the event.... thus   
  
seeing them stuck out there. There were various doctors, nurses and   
  
trainees working on them.... Mostly trainees. If there was one   
  
clear thing about the modern medical profession, very few of those   
  
who worked within it had any voluntary goodwill.  
  
She must have stared out of that window for some time, she  
  
didn't know how long.... The effects of sleep deprivation were   
  
starting to wear on her senses. But the sky.... The red fluid glow  
  
seemed to wash into her mind, drawing her deeper into its soporific  
  
waves. She thought she could hear voices emanating from those   
  
waves. The distinctive tones of her late mother, singing to her  
  
when she was a child. The way she used to sing to Ami.... She  
  
hummed the tune, so softly it was almost imperceptible.  
  
"Okaasama..." Said the soft voice behind her. For some reason,   
  
she wasn't surprised when she heard it. Slowly, she  
  
managed to turn her head. Her eyes felt tired as Ami paced across  
  
the office floor, stopping about seven feet from her.  
  
"Ami-chan...." She mumbled. Ami smiled at her, sweetly.  
  
"You look tired." Ami said simply. It seemed so matter of  
  
fact that she might as well have been carrying on a normal domestic  
  
conversation.  
  
"I am tired." Her mother took a few steps forward, and only  
  
then noticed that Ami was translucent. She stopped, shaking on her  
  
feet. "Have you come... to say goodbye to me?"  
  
Ami shook her head. "In life and death, it is never goodbye."  
  
She smiled. "I heard you humming that tune.... It was nice. How  
  
long has it been since you sang it to me?"  
  
Her mother shook her head, looking down. Ami shrugged.  
  
"I came to warn you. Soon we shall be together again." Ami   
  
lowered her face and looked aside. "That's all I really have to say   
  
to you. I'm sorry things turned out this way between us."  
  
"Ami..."  
  
"I guess some things had to be sacrificed for your career.   
  
And I know you were just like me when you were my age." Ami's voice  
  
began to crackle, as if it were becoming hard for her to talk. "But  
  
in the end, we all make our choices about who we shall live with, be  
  
they good or bad. If our souls ever achieve as close a relationship  
  
as our past one, I hope it is more...."  
  
"What's up, Doctor Mizuno?" Ami's mother turned to the young  
  
army medic who had stepped into the office. For a moment, she   
  
seemed annoyed, then turned back to Ami. But her daughter was gone.  
  
She stared at the spot for several minutes, almost incapable  
  
of standing on her feet any further. Slowly, she slid to the floor,  
  
the medic only just catching her before her head hit.  
  
----o  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
and again  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
Motto Motto Radical Fight  
  
----o  
  
Usagi felt herself being dragged through the water one more   
  
time before emerging to the surface. Water sprayed everywhere,  
  
dramatically, creating a rainbow. She giggled and heard Siren do  
  
the same behind her. Most of her feelings, about her current  
  
situation, had now subsided and she was beginning to enjoy this  
  
sensation.  
  
She paddled away after Siren released her, lying on her back  
  
and staring at the ceiling. Perhaps this place WAS a kind of   
  
afterlife. A kind of Heaven. She closed her eyes and floated,  
  
thinking to herself.  
  
Death. She had died twice in a very short space of time, and  
  
both times at the hands of people she'd trusted. The first time, at  
  
the hands of Setsuna. An energy beam... A Dead Scream or whatever  
  
it was that she used. Then, after being brought back to life by   
  
Setsuna, she found herself being beaten to a bloodied pulp by Ami.  
  
She frowned, gritting her teeth. She had wanted to forget  
  
these events. She HAD forgotten them in this new experience, or had  
  
at least tried. But then, those times she had bathed, had swam,   
  
were always the times where her brain would go into data sorting   
  
mode.  
  
She felt a figure floating beside her, and she lazily opened  
  
her eyes. Ami floated there. For some reason, she wasn't surprised  
  
by this turn of events.  
  
"Hello." She said, her face expressionless. Ami opened her  
  
eyes and looked at her, smiling.  
  
"Hello, Usagi-chan." She turned back to face the ceiling.   
  
"Are you having fun?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, I suppose so."  
  
"Hmm..." Ami blinked. "This won't last forever, you know?"  
  
"But it makes for a good distraction."  
  
Ami chuckled. "The Usagi I remember would never have said  
  
something like that. Nor would the Usagi I remember have dealt   
  
with, as calmly as you have done, my sudden arrival."  
  
"I guess I'm not the Usagi you remember."  
  
"Indeed not." Ami kicked slightly, managing to catch up with  
  
Usagi's floating form. "I just wanted to say sorry. For everything  
  
that has happened."  
  
"I should think so, too. After what you did to me."  
  
Ami flinched. "Ouch. Yes, sorry about that specifically."   
  
She turned to Usagi. "I know I only killed you, but I'm sure we can  
  
still be friends."  
  
Usagi let out a small, slightly bitter laugh. "Yeah, right."  
  
"Do you realise the full course of events here, Usagi?"  
  
"Eh?" Usagi raised an eyebrow.  
  
"We were manipulated into doing what we did. The full depths  
  
of our being were preyed upon by a being of immense power. We were  
  
convinced that, if we didn't kill you, you would kill us."  
  
"I'd never have done that. How could you have even thought it  
  
possible?" Usagi stopped floating on her back and turned   
  
vertically. Ami did likewise and stared at her, trying to read her.  
  
"Have you seen the visions?"  
  
"I've... seen some."  
  
"Did you see how I died? For nothing. For no reason. Not   
  
even in the defence of the Kingdom. I just died. I didn't want to  
  
have my death be so meaningless. And yet, that is what happened."  
  
Usagi's eyes opened wide. "You... You're DEAD?" Ami nodded.  
  
"I am now. All things considered, life can be a real bitch  
  
when it wants to be." She sniffed. "My mind... When it was   
  
affected by the manipulation, dragged out the full horrors of who it  
  
was that I had been in my past life. And that was someone I didn't  
  
want to be again."  
  
"Who... Who was this?"  
  
"Miste Kiele. A high-ranking graduate of the Academy. She  
  
graduated earlier and with higher scores than anyone else in   
  
history, and proceeded to use her intelligence to tear the Kingdom  
  
apart under the reign of Queen Serenity. The very fabric by which  
  
the Kingdom had operated was shed because of her power games."  
  
"You speak of her as if she were separate to you."  
  
"She was. Is. I am no more Miste Kiele than she has to be  
  
of me. That is why I died, or allowed myself to die. Had things  
  
gone on the way they did, I would have become her once more."  
  
"But that seed of Miste shall always be a part of you. Can't  
  
you see that?"  
  
"Hai. It shall be. Just as what your Youma counterpart has  
  
become shall always be a part of you."  
  
"My Youma counterpart?"  
  
"Jadeite created a Youma version of you. That was why Setsuna  
  
brought you back to life. Only you have the ability to truly stop   
  
her."  
  
"Why? How?"  
  
"Because she carries your soul. You spirit. If you were to  
  
remove that... Then its powers are halved. As it is, it will just  
  
tear through the others, killing as it pleases, perhaps at the   
  
expense of the lives of all."  
  
"How can I stop it?"  
  
"For one thing, you must leave this place, this limbo. Things  
  
are already prepared for that to happen. There are people who have  
  
entered this place to achieve such a task."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"You shall know them when you see them."  
  
Ami was silent for a few moments more. "Usagi..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I can't lie to you about what is going to happen next. You  
  
may not like it. But it is going to happen, and there is nothing  
  
you shall be able to do about it."  
  
"What? What is it?"  
  
Ami smiled at her, and disappeared. She felt herself being  
  
grabbed around the midsection and dragged underwater.  
  
Her mouth filled with water as she let out a short cry, but  
  
felt her lungs filling up with air, so she knew, instinctively, that  
  
it was Siren who had grabbed her. She just wasn't prepared for when  
  
Siren literally tore her bikini from her. She struggled as Siren  
  
dropped the articles of clothing to the bottom of the pool and   
  
dragged her naked form up to the deep end.  
  
Usagi stared at her... Or, at the very least, her dark eyes  
  
which were the only things she could truly see of Siren underwater.  
  
"Wha... What are you DOING?" She telepathically spoke to her  
  
companion.  
  
"Saving your life, stupid." Siren replied. She spun Usagi  
  
round as several shell rounds exploded into the pool where they had  
  
been.  
  
"Wha... What was THAT?"  
  
"There are several men in the courtyard around the pool. I  
  
don't know who the hell they are, but they look, to me, like the  
  
type one would expect from an establishment like that run by our  
  
fine Madame Scorpia and her right-hand snill, Mistral LeFevre."  
  
Before Usagi had the opportunity to ask Siren what a snill  
  
was, the woman spun her head around and kissed her heavily. Usagi's  
  
eyes opened wide and she struggled to get away. She felt something'  
  
shoot from Siren's mouth into hers, piercing her gums like a needle  
  
dart. Usagi gagged as she momentarily tasted blood, then felt waves  
  
of pleasure run through her. The taste was gone as soon as Siren   
  
let go of her, swimming away.  
  
Usagi put a hand to her lips and watched as Siren looked back  
  
at her. "Don't leave the water. As you are, now, they won't be   
  
able to see you."  
  
"What did you do to me?"  
  
"I've inserted an essence of my being into you. For a period  
  
of time, we are one and the same species." Siren smiled. "I can   
  
see why your lover was so fond of you. I had to constrain myself  
  
just then."  
  
Usagi blushed as well as someone who appeared the same colour  
  
as her surroundings could. "Wh.. What are you going to do?"  
  
Siren just smiled and took a position at the bottom of the   
  
pool. Then, with a kick, she thrust herself upwards, disappearing  
  
through the surface.  
  
Usagi only just resisted the temptation to see what was  
  
happening above. She could hear gunshots and shouting as if the  
  
sounds were passing through normal air. Slowly, she sank to the  
  
bottom, holding her legs in a foetal position as she watched shapes  
  
flittering around the pool, above the surface.  
  
----o  
  
Shadows of the future....  
  
Professor Tomoe stared at the empty bedroom. Hotaru's empty  
  
bedroom, holding the note. Several of the Usagi's stood in the  
  
doorway, staring in at him as Usako pushed through.  
  
"She has left?" Usako asked simply. He proffered the note to  
  
her without turning. She took it and started reading.  
  
  
  
Dear father,  
  
In all likelihood, if you are reading this, then I have   
  
already left. Please forgive me for this and all I have done to   
  
hurt you over the past few years. I never wished for you to endure  
  
such pains. You must feel terribly ashamed to have had a child like  
  
me.  
  
But then, I suppose you will never know what it is like to   
  
have endured what I have during these times. I am alone. Even with  
  
you. Even, now, with Usako... I am alone. The only one who could  
  
understand what I feel is now gone. That freak, I despise so much.  
  
A woman you were willing to share your bed with! Only she   
  
understood those feelings of abandonment. Abandonment by the   
  
others. Why did they have to die, leaving me to live this way?   
  
Leaving me to endure the tortures I've suffered at the hands of   
  
others.  
  
You so often have said you've forgiven me for the atrocities  
  
I've committed. How could you? Can you hear the screams of all  
  
those people in your head, day and night? All those people whose  
  
lives ended because of ME?  
  
And more, could you understand what it feels like to have your  
  
body violated the way mine was! I could have died that day. I   
  
wanted to die! I was willing to let that man kill me and end this  
  
miserable existence. It was only the intervention of that freak   
  
that saved me. Because she said she UNDERSTOOD the pain. That   
  
freak... The one who took the lives of so many I cared about, saved  
  
my life because she felt an EMPATHY.  
  
I watched her, torturing that man for days as she allowed me  
  
to recover. Tortures she asked of me when I was in a state of mind  
  
incapable of understanding the consequences. And you know what? I  
  
LIKED what I saw. I LIKED seeing him die that way. If this is not  
  
a prime example of the corruption that has taken me over, I do not  
  
know what is.  
  
The freak chose to keep this from you. She wanted to see me  
  
live... To feed off my pain, for to her, pain is a drug. She   
  
enjoyed the pain. And to make sure I never finished myself off she  
  
told me that, if I die, then she would kill you. Did you know that?  
  
The woman you would SLEEP with, with all those powers at her   
  
disposal, would've spread you like a paste across the walls of the  
  
fortress had I so much as succeeded in topping myself. HA HA HA!  
  
How does that make YOU feel, eh?  
  
So don't try following me. Don't let Usako or any of those  
  
others come after me. Because I'll KILL you if any of you do. I  
  
shall not return. Goodbye, father.  
  
Hotaru  
  
Usako folded the note and placed her hands in front of her.  
  
"I take it you knew about this already?" Tomoe half-turned  
  
to her. She could see he had been crying.  
  
"I didn't know about it."  
  
"You experienced it."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why did you not tell me about it, straight out?"  
  
"Because, as I said, I wanted you to ask her for yourself."  
  
He turned away again. "I came in here to do just that. This  
  
is what I found." His shoulders began to shake, as if he were   
  
laughing. Choked sobs started to leave his throat.  
  
"Professor... This isn't the end... Despite what she says,  
  
she shall return to you."  
  
"Where is she now? Do you know?"  
  
"She is a long way from here, now. She is asleep, in an old  
  
farmhouse." He turned to her, sniffing and blinking his reddened  
  
eyes for a few moments.  
  
"And who says I will be here for her to return to, when the  
  
time comes?"  
  
"Destiny says so." Usako handed him back the note. "Read  
  
through that, again and again and again. I want you to FEEL her  
  
pain, and then finally understand who she is. You owe it to her,  
  
as her father." Usako turned and left the room, pushing past the   
  
other Usagis on her way out.  
  
----o  
  
Mamoru stood at the base of the steps to Setsuna's apartment,   
  
looking up at the gathered group... Or what was left of it.  
  
Chibiusa stood next to him, hanging onto his arm. For a   
  
moment, he considered shrugging her off, feeling uncomfortable with  
  
someone who reminded him of Usagi being so close, not to mention the   
  
fact that the mind behind the 4P Eternal Sailormoon was his   
  
daughter's.  
  
"...So we have a choice, now. Do we or do we not go after   
  
Usako and Aosagi?"  
  
"We can't very well leave them to fend for themselves." Came  
  
Michiru's voice. Of course, it wasn't Michiru speaking, since   
  
neither Haruka nor Michiru had been able to re-swap bodies when they  
  
tried.  
  
"Yes we can." PalaPala giggled. "Its very simple. We just  
  
continue to stand here and talk about it." JunJun bapped Pala one  
  
over the head.  
  
"I'm worried about her intentions.... Usako, I mean." Jun  
  
bit her lower lip. "She showed a form of power I think none of us  
  
expected from her."  
  
"I'm sure I felt Serenity within her." Mamoru shook his head.  
  
"Then I felt that she wasn't the one. Although.... I could be   
  
wrong. But she also felt like Usagi. The waves I got from her.   
  
She was more like an evolved form of Usagi... One that was further  
  
down the developmental path than the Usagi we remember. Maybe   
  
that's why I rejected the sensations I was receiving."  
  
"So what do you think her intentions are?" Michiru, through  
  
Haruka, speaking that time.  
  
"I'm not sure, but it just seemed...." Jun looked back at   
  
her. Now Luna stepped forward.  
  
"Did she not head in the direction of the Eternal City?"  
  
"That seems to be the case. She almost looked like she was  
  
making contact with the Destroyer, as if to try and stop it from  
  
doing what it was doing." Mamoru rubbed his chin.  
  
"So then it is possible that she has made contact with the  
  
intelligence behind the City?" Artemis looked from Mamoru to Luna.  
  
"I don't know, it seemed a bit more than that to me...." Jun  
  
left that statement in mid-air.  
  
"Perhaps she's going to try to get the City to go back to its  
  
world?" Chibiusa looked up at Mamoru, hopefully. He looked down at  
  
her and smiled.  
  
"The City that I know wouldn't do something like that. With  
  
the breach it has seen a whole new universe to move into...."  
  
"But surely, if Usako is able to contact it, then we can get  
  
her to impress upon it the danger of the situation." Michiru again.  
  
"I get the feeling we might have to impress upon Usako the   
  
danger, first." Luna frowned.  
  
"Urp..." Misagi belched, sitting on the railing at the back  
  
of the group, next to Akunatsuka, who was staring away into the sky,  
  
lost in thought. They all turned to her and looked daggers. She  
  
just shook her head. "You're all so stupid. Why don't you just go  
  
after her now, instead of mucking around, discussing it. Stuff what  
  
she does or deosn't want to do." She looked from one to the next,  
  
then pointed up at the sky. "Look at that. It looks like the end  
  
of the world up there. I'm damned if I'm going to waste my last  
  
few moments of life, sitting here inactively. And besides, if you  
  
look the other way, we've got another Destroyer ready to bear down  
  
on us."  
  
They turned to see another of the dark dirigible-like   
  
creatures floating slowly in their direction. It had mottling on  
  
its side, like it had been struck by weapons fire (which it had).  
  
Whatever it had been had failed to penetrate its outer shell.  
  
"I doubt our energy reserves shall be able to deal with that  
  
when the time comes, or any of the others."  
  
Mamoru nodded. "Then I think it is time to make our move."  
  
"There is one thing we haven't discussed." Usashin stepped  
  
forward, turning back to look at the group. "Sailors Saturn and  
  
Pluto are missing. We presume that Saturn used Pluto's powers to  
  
transport them away. We have no idea where they have gone."  
  
"That's precisely the point." Pala sniffed. "We don't know  
  
WHERE they are, and with what we've been told about Saturn's control  
  
of Pluto's powers, neither would they. For all we know, they could  
  
be sitting on the bottom of the Pacific by now."  
  
"She's right, much as it pains me to agree with her." Haruka  
  
stared down at Pala, who smiled back in response. "We just have to  
  
trust in fate that they aren't harmed in any way."  
  
"Umm, guys, just thought you'd like to know, but the Destroyer  
  
ain't slowing down or anything." Makoto began to jump on her feet,  
  
a little edgily.  
  
"Then I suggest we move it, quite rapidly." Mamoru pointed  
  
back towards the yard gate. "Usashin, do you have powers as a   
  
tracker?"  
  
"It is amongst my retinue of abilities, yes."  
  
"Then I suggest you use them to find Usako and Aosagi."  
  
Usashin nodded and stepped down, past Mamoru and towards the  
  
gate. She closed her eyes and concentrated, then opened them and  
  
pointed down the street. "I have their power signals. Follow me."  
  
Usashin took off, followed by Makoto, who leapt past Mamoru  
  
and Chibiusa, almost without thinking. The two cats followed her.  
  
Mamoru looked back at the others. "Well? Are we going?" He  
  
took Chibiusa by the hand and virtually dragged her along. The four  
  
remaining senshi followed them. Akunatsuka started his way down the  
  
stairs, not looking forward to having to run after even the most  
  
vaguely fit youth. He stopped and looked back at Misagi, who stared  
  
at the Destroyer, holding onto a sixpack of beer almost   
  
protectively.  
  
"What are you doing? Do you want to die here? That thing   
  
will blow you into a million pieces if you don't move."  
  
"It might be a blessing." Misagi looked depressed. Slowly,  
  
she jumped down from the railing and trotted towards Akunatsuka.  
  
"What's your name, anyway, old man?"  
  
"Old man?" He stared at her as she passed him. "Akunatsuka.  
  
Akunatsuka Kaji."  
  
"Hmm... Aku... Doesn't that mean evil?"  
  
He stuck his tongue out at her as the Destroyer arrived above  
  
the apartment. The two of them were only just able to get clear in  
  
time when it levelled it and its surrounds in an explosion the size  
  
of a small baseball field.  
  
----o  
  
The Tsukino family sat on the deck of the ship that was   
  
berthed on the wharves of Tokyo Bay, along with over five hundred  
  
others. For all intents and purposes, Ikuko felt that she had the  
  
right to be an emotional wreck. It was Kenji, however, who had  
  
lost his nerve soon after the attack on the police station by the  
  
monster. Ikuko was left holding his head in her lap as they felt  
  
the ship begin to rock, its engines starting up.  
  
Shingo, for his part, was excited about the events, although  
  
the possibility of never again seeing his home, his big sister, or  
  
even Mika, worried him. He, nevertheless, had tried to remain as  
  
stoic as possible, for fear of how he would be seen by his mother.  
  
Not that she would have seen him as anything other than her  
  
frightened child.  
  
Sitting next to them was DCI Rikai, who had helped them to  
  
escape from the station when it was attacked. He had been speaking  
  
to them, about the Usagi that they'd held for questioning, that  
  
she'd denied just about everything, even including a relationship  
  
with them, when all went to hell.  
  
The first thing they'd known about the attack was the fact  
  
that the whole building shook. Then Aburatsubo had come running   
  
into his office, shouting that a monster was killing everyone at the   
  
station. Considering that they'd left Shingo with one of the female   
  
duty officers, the Tsukino's panicked. Rikai guided them towards   
  
the woman's office, only to find that part of the station   
  
demolished.  
  
The Tsukino's went into fits of hysterics, especially Kenji.  
  
However, Shingo was a boy of unnatural survival capabilities. Rikai  
  
heard his sobs from underneath the rubble and he, Kenji and   
  
Aburatsubo started to dig him out, something that was particularly   
  
dangerous since the Resonator had been rampaging through the station   
  
not that far away.  
  
After pulling Shingo out from the wreckage, he said he'd been  
  
holding onto the hand of the female duty officer. They'd dug   
  
through the wreckage when they saw her hand, only to find the arm  
  
came to a dead end. Sickened, Rikai told Aburatsubo to get back to   
  
his house to make sure his family were safe.  
  
This reminded Rikai of his own family situation. At that   
  
point, the breach had occured and things were starting to fall apart  
  
within Tokyo. He told the Tsukino's that he was leaving town, and   
  
said it would be a particularly good idea if they joined him.  
  
He managed to swipe a police van and, after a short stop at   
  
the Tsukino house where they were able to grab a few of their   
  
things, he continued on to his house.  
  
What he'd found, when he got there, was a crushed home, and   
  
the bodies of his family. Since then, it had been Ikuko making all   
  
the arrangements for their flight from the city.  
  
Having found all the motorways near impassable, she turned the  
  
vehicle around and headed back towards the docks. It had been   
  
announced over the emergency radio that several shipping companies  
  
were taking on passengers at the behest of the Japanese parliament,  
  
the Diet, so that as many people as possible could be cleared from  
  
the disaster area in case things got worse....  
  
And so here they were, preparing to leave Tokyo by ship.   
  
Ikuko wondered why, with so many men around, it had been up to her   
  
to make all the decisions.  
  
Both herself and Kumada Yuuichirou. They had bumped into both   
  
he and Rei's Grandfather on the docks. All had been familiar with   
  
each other through the rare moments they had been acquainted.   
  
Ojiichan was not feeling all that well, after having been made to   
  
leave the devastated remains of the Hikawa Shrine, not knowing if   
  
Rei was alive or dead. Yuuichirou had managed to guide him to the   
  
docks, where the old man had attempted to take his mind off things   
  
by praying for the souls of those wounded who had died before   
  
getting onto the various ships that were leaving.  
  
It reminded him of his youth.... His time as a trainee priest  
  
during the war. He'd managed to avoid service because of this, as  
  
the head priest of the temple had died soon after the hostilities  
  
had begun. For the rest of the war, he was forced to serve as the  
  
Hikawa Shrine's head priest... A position he kept in the aftermath,  
  
during the occupation.  
  
It was also in the war that he lost his first love. For years  
  
after that, he would chase young girls, almost in an effort to   
  
regain some sense of his youth, his past, and her love. Eventually,  
  
he married into a wealthy family. But even then, the love he'd  
  
received was not enough to settle the horrors of the war in his   
  
mind.  
  
And now, here it was again. A different event, this time.  
  
Less predictable than a war, but seemingly just as devastating. Rei  
  
was missing, probably dead.... The last light in his life....  
  
Yuuichirou wasn't in all that joyous a mood, himself. Despite  
  
the fact that both he and Rei had never really "got it together", so  
  
to speak, the fact that she was probably dead made him feel.... He  
  
didn't know WHAT to feel. She had always been so standoffish, yet  
  
there were times.... That time, when he was about to leave and was  
  
attacked by that thing, that Daimon....  
  
Yuuichirou was the one who had found the Tsukino's on the   
  
dock. Familiar faces in a crowd made them feel as if they'd all   
  
known each other like the best of friends. They'd exchanged  
  
stories, comforted each other, and patiently waited their turn to  
  
get onto one of the ships, praying that the chaos that had swept the  
  
city would not extend itself to the wharf.  
  
With a blast of the horn, the ship began to move out of the  
  
harbour, following a traffic jam of hundreds of other such vehicles.  
  
----o  
  
Naru opened her eyes.  
  
Aoi looked down upon her.  
  
"Naiad-sama..." She muttered to herself as she tried to sit  
  
up. Instantly, she knew she was back in the land of the living.   
  
One couldn't feel this bad in a fantasy realm. Well, one could if  
  
one tried... But she wasn't trying.  
  
"N.. Naiad?" Aoi stared at her for a few moments and she   
  
stared back. "Wh... Who is this Naiad-sama?"  
  
"Captain Kikotsuka?" Naru frowned. "The original?"  
  
"It would appear so." Naru turned to the voice, to see a   
  
woman approaching from the other side of a large chamber. The woman  
  
was dressed in a gilden senshi uniform, with similarly couloured   
  
braids, sitting like a crown, around her head. "Whatever has   
  
happened to Millenia's mind, it has chosen not to return to this  
  
woman's body. Not this body, anyway."  
  
Naru looked around the chamber, not entirely with wonderment.  
  
She'd seen too much, recently, to look at it that way. Galaxia  
  
watched her quietly as Aoi slowly sank to the floor, sitting cross-  
  
legged.  
  
"Ah, fascinated in the layout of this humble construction, are  
  
we? Interesting. I helped in designing the architecture."  
  
"Where are we?" Naru said simply, flatly even. The question  
  
struck her as being one would use against someone familiar, although  
  
she had to think long and hard to work out just who this new arrival  
  
might be.  
  
"The revival room within the Keep, of course." The woman said  
  
with a slight smile.  
  
"And you would be.... Galaxia?" Naru was genuinely surprised  
  
when the woman laughed.  
  
"Who else would I be?" She turned, smiled and walked away.  
  
Naru sighed and shook her head, only then realising that she was   
  
stark naked. She threw her hands over vital parts of her body and  
  
let out a short cry.  
  
"Iyaaa! Galaxia no ecchi!"  
  
Both Galaxia and Aoi facefaulted.  
  
----o  
  
The two Usagi clones wandered the streets, aimlessly. Both  
  
of them wondering where they were and how they had got here.  
  
They'd both been flung into what looked like a rubbish tip,  
  
and appeared the worse for wear. Ushayla-Ushayla was still picking  
  
bits and pieces from her red minidress and hair.  
  
"Look at this! Look! I'm absolutely FILTHY. I'm gonna fix  
  
whoever did this to me, well and truly!" She snorted. She knew  
  
EXACTLY who did this to her. That bloody, inconsiderate BITCH,  
  
Saturn!  
  
"Hah! Even though we may be filthy, we yet live. Now I can  
  
continue my eternal search for that traitorous Lina Tsukiverse!"   
  
Ushayla's companion began to laugh THAT laugh. The laugh with the  
  
power to level entire armies. Ushayla put her hands over her ears,  
  
cowering from its sinister tones. "Yes, Lina. I, Unagi the   
  
Serpent, Unagi the White Snake, shall bring your felony to light!"  
  
Well, thought Ushayla, she certainly had enough chest with  
  
which to generate that laugh. Still, the sound... It was just SO  
  
horrible. As was Unagi's choice in clothing.... Which was but the  
  
merest slip of black to cover important areas, completed with a  
  
simple black cape. Along with the black hair, she certainly looked   
  
the part of an evil sorceress.  
  
A truck came trundling up the road behind them, and they spun  
  
to see a strange white-haired man, with glasses, at the steering   
  
wheel. They stood aside as the truck came to a stop. In the back  
  
of the truck sat close to thirty other Usagi clones, all of which  
  
looked down at their likenesses standing on the side of the road.  
  
The driver's window rolled down, and the man stared at them.  
  
"Would you two ladies like a lift somewhere?"  
  
"Who are you?" Asked Unagi snobbishly. The man raised his  
  
eyebrows.  
  
"My name is Tomoe Souichi, as if that is of any concern to   
  
you." He huffed. "Well, would you like a lift or not? I've been  
  
told by certain interested parties that armageddon is upon us, and  
  
to find as safe a place as possible for as many of you... Umm...  
  
Usagis." He smiled. "Good thing I'm a mad scientist. I have a   
  
nice safe basement in which we can shelter." He chuckled, all too  
  
knowingly.  
  
Ushayla smiled. "Of course I shall appreciate a lift, if  
  
things are going to be that bad." She stepped forward. Unagi,  
  
however just huffed.  
  
"I have someone I must find first. I'm afraid I must reject  
  
your offer. I'm not the kind to skulk within darkened dens when  
  
danger is at hand." Unagi tossed her hair, and walked away, watched  
  
by the Professor, Ushayla and all the other Usagis on the truck.  
  
"Oh, one thing.... Before you go..." The Professor shouted  
  
out to her. Unagi paused and looked over her shoulder. "Have you  
  
seen a young girl, about fourteen years of age, with medium-length  
  
straight black hair and pale skin. She's a Sailorsenshi, too."  
  
"You mean Saturn, do you not?" Unagi sneered at him.  
  
"Uh yeah..."  
  
"I have not had the misfortune of crossing that monster's  
  
sinister path. But I can assure you, if I were to do so, I would  
  
smite her with all the power I have vested within me." She threw  
  
her head back, once more performing the almighty laugh of doom.  
  
Everyone in or around the truck were thankful as she disappeared  
  
from sight around the street corner.  
  
"That is one seriously twisted Usagi." The Professor shook  
  
his head. He turned to Ushayla. "And you? Have you seen Saturn?"  
  
"I saw her.... But not here."  
  
"Where then?" The Professor frowned, eager for news of his  
  
daughter's whereabouts. Ushayla simply pointed up, at the sky. He  
  
involuntarily followed her point's direction, and stared at the  
  
cracking surface of the world up there. "Oh Kami, I most certainly  
  
hope she isn't STILL there."  
  
----o  
  
Hotaru and Setsuna flashed into existence at the top   
  
observation deck of the Tokyo Tower, and Hotaru cursed.  
  
"Aww jeez! How did I get HERE?" She looked back down at the  
  
delirious Setsuna, whose clothing had reformed into a purple   
  
mindress with accompanying black ribbon. The reverse of what the  
  
Saturn uniform had been when Hotaru was wearing it.  
  
What the hell was this saying, Hotaru thought. Just what the  
  
hell are my powers trying to tell me? She sighed and gripped the  
  
Time Key, getting mightily sick of having to take up the Pluto role,  
  
although she was quite happy not to have been Saturn for a while,  
  
she doubted whether Setsuna would let her hold these powers for   
  
long, once she recovered.  
  
Hotaru placed her hand on top of Setsuna once more and   
  
concentrated. Her tiara flashed, and the pair were gone once more.  
  
----o  
  
Somehow, they'd managed to drag Madame Scorpia through the   
  
halls of her establishment without any of her employees batting an  
  
eyelid. Scorpia was also quite confident, which was something of a   
  
worry to them, but still.  
  
Nyanko had kept Scorpia covered with one of her weapons.   
  
Since Nyanko seemed to have an unending supply of them within her  
  
jacket. Crow wondered about the dimensional stability of Nyanko's  
  
clothing, but decided to let it pass.  
  
The weapon took the form of a knuckleduster with holes, so it  
  
could be easily hidden from anyone passing by. Nyanko assured  
  
everyone, mostly Scorpia, that it conformed to the rule that a   
  
weapon's destructive capacity was inversely proportional to its  
  
size. Crow took this to mean that Nyanko's mouth was inversely  
  
proportional to her brain. She let that one pass as well.  
  
Mouse had guided them towards an old-style elevator, with an  
  
ornamental gate. Scorpia raised her eyebrows when she saw they were  
  
going to use it.  
  
"We are going down into the tunnels?"  
  
"Not just the tunnels, Madame." Mouse said, bowing to their  
  
captive. "To a portion of your establishment I'm quite sure you  
  
haven't seen before."  
  
Scorpia snorted. "Oh yes, I'm sure. I know every section of  
  
this place."  
  
"Do you? I wonder how much you servant, Mistral, lets you   
  
see?" Crow sidled up to Scorpia, her face close enough to make the  
  
woman cringe.  
  
"Mistral is my servant. I rescued him from the ministrations  
  
of the slavers."  
  
"Ah yes, well... It makes me wonder how much he has learnt  
  
from his former masters." Crow sneered and stepped back as Mouse   
  
opened the gate to the elevator. Scorpia stared at Crow, not  
  
understanding any of what she had said. As Mouse stepped into the  
  
elevator, she felt herself being prodded in the back by Nyanko. And  
  
followed the shorter girl in.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi lay within the pool for what seemed like forever, but   
  
was, in truth, nothing more than a few minutes. The sounds and   
  
shapes that had come from above were now gone. She wondered if   
  
Siren had managed to escape them, or whether she was now captured.  
  
Or worse.... Usagi shook her head, wanting to cry. That made her  
  
wonder how Siren's people cried.  
  
Above the oceans, they were free to express their feelings in  
  
that so obvious manner. Yet, below them, in that environment they  
  
were so familiar with, such an action was almost pointless.  
  
Usagi wrapped her arms tightly around her legs, pressing her  
  
knees deeper into her chin.  
  
Something dropped into the water, making Usagi flinch. She   
  
now noticed figures above, staring into the water. For a few   
  
moments, she shied away from the object that slowly floated   
  
downwards. that was, until she noticed that it was a fishhook and  
  
sinker on a line!  
  
She boggled. Who the hell would be trying to fish in a   
  
swimming pool? Either that, or those people Siren had mentioned  
  
before were mocking her! Whatever the case, she felt intensely  
  
curious. Slowly, she swam over to the line and looked at it. She  
  
took hold of the sinker and gave it a tug.  
  
She let go as the line was reeled upwards. There were a few  
  
sighs of disappointment from above, and it was dropped back again,  
  
eventually stopping in front of her.  
  
For some reason, she didn't feel that those above meant her  
  
any harm. She gripped onto the sinker and gave it an almighty  
  
yank. There was a short cry from above as a figure staggered   
  
forward, only being stopped from falling in at the last moment by  
  
a companion. The line was dragged upwards, and Usagi with it.  
  
She emerged through the surface, gasping for air as her lungs  
  
resumed their normal volume.  
  
"Ah, Odango-atama. It's about time you chose to join the real  
  
world." Usagi opened her eyes and stared with disbelief.  
  
Hanging onto the line was Starhealer. Hnaging onto her was  
  
Starmaker. They both smiled at Usagi as her face changed.  
  
"Oooh, you TWO!" She splashed them as they stepped back,   
  
giggling. Slowly, she emerged from the pool, Starmaker placing a  
  
towel around her naked form. She turned to see Siren, sitting  
  
against the wall, smiling at her tiredly.  
  
"Yo." She waved at her.  
  
"You with her?" Starhealer thumbed Siren, who looked daggers  
  
back. Usagi nodded. Starhealer giggled. "Whoops. We thought she  
  
was with those other guys, and was going to dish her one. Course,  
  
she went all googly and said she wasn't, and begged for her life and  
  
all that."  
  
"They just wouldn't listen to me, the bastards." Siren huffed  
  
and turned her head away. "They still haven't forgiven me for the  
  
last time."  
  
"What happened to those people?" Usagi looked at the two   
  
Starlights, who smiled back.  
  
"Well, I'm very much afraid they won't be annoying us again.  
  
Siren saw to much of that. We finished the job."  
  
Siren looked away from Usagi. For one moment, Usagi wondered  
  
what they meant, then opened her eyes wide.  
  
"You didn't... You didn't kill..."  
  
"How does one kill the dead?" Starmaker bit her lower lip.  
  
"They were deconstructed, so to speak. Their souls returned to the  
  
void from this realm."  
  
"Are you dead, too?" Usagi looked at them. Starhealer just  
  
laughed, tossing back her head.  
  
"We may be here, but our bodies remain very much alive. Back  
  
in the Keep with our esteemed supreme leader."  
  
"And who is that?" Usagi twitched an eyebrow.  
  
"Galaxia, of course."  
  
----o  
  
"I see... So Mercury is...." Galaxia pondered this  
  
revelation for several moments. Naru, who was now dressed in a   
  
loose-flowing ceremonial cloak, standing in the centre of the small   
  
chamber, watching as bodies glided past, along a kind of conveyor   
  
from behind a crystal partition, nodded mutely.  
  
The pair stood grimly, in silence, trying to get their   
  
thoughts together. Aoi sat on the opposite side of the chamber,  
  
looking strung out. Naru turned to her, sadly.  
  
"What happened to her? From what I was able to ascertain, she  
  
was supposed to be the vessel for Naiad."  
  
"Naiad... Millenia, as I know her, planted a seed of her   
  
conciousness in the mind of the woman upon her conception. In   
  
truth, her soul is a portion of Millenia, but one that has gained   
  
self-awareness.... When the core spirit isn't thugging on her, of   
  
course."  
  
"And that is what happened before.... Naia... Millenia's  
  
spirit took control of what was nothing more than an aspect of it?"  
  
"As I said, the conciousness of the woman has grown as a  
  
separate entity. And, I think, having realised this, Millenia has  
  
chosen to leave her alone. She may be a lot of things, but Millenia  
  
is not cruel. Well, not THAT cruel." Galaxia sighed.  
  
"But I thought you said she was your enemy...." Naru raised a  
  
questioning eyebrow. Galaxia looked at her for a moment, blankly,  
  
then smiled.  
  
"Ah.... Well, an enemy in that we have often played off each  
  
other. We are both.... Empresses.... Of an Empire that stretches  
  
almost from one side of this universe to the other. With the kind  
  
of ambition required to run such a beast, one has to expect a clash  
  
of egos." Galaxia's eyes went distant, something that seemed, to   
  
Naru, to be natural for her.... But then, Galaxia's great age and   
  
single life mitigated against the dissolution of memory....  
  
"You know..." Galaxia muttered, quietly. "...It wasn't   
  
always this way.... I used to be envious of her. Before the   
  
harnessing of the Home System's elemental energies.... There were  
  
four of us.... Graduates of the first Academy to be set up. We   
  
were students of the four main faculties. Fire, Earth, Air and Water.   
  
That was myself, Gaea, Ascentia and Millenia.... In those  
  
days, control of the elements were sporadic and dangerous, so anyone  
  
who showed even the slightest competence were admitted into the   
  
Academy."  
  
"What happened.... To those other two? Did they die?"  
  
"No. Well, not what you would strictly call 'death'. You   
  
see, we had formed a group within the campus... A kind of society,   
  
really, that was dedicated to finding the source of all existence.   
  
This had been known as the Cauldron.... A kind of intergalactic   
  
womb of life and conciousness."  
  
"I... seem to have memories pertaining to the Cauldron...."  
  
"Well, that shouldn't be surprising. Anyone who had spent a  
  
past life as part of the Empire's establishment would have heard of  
  
it." She rubbed her chin, thoughtfully. "After leaving the   
  
Academy, we set up a foundation that gathered money and resources,  
  
towards the readings of ancient texts, to unlock the codes as to the  
  
location of the Cauldron itself. It was during this time that we  
  
discovered the possibilities of Harnessing the elements of a system.  
  
And so we went ahead, holus bolus, with the process and ceremony of  
  
harnessing the energies of this one, against the will of the  
  
powerbrokers of the day."  
  
"And both Millenia and yourself became the wielders of these  
  
energies?" Naru frowned.  
  
"Ah yes, we did. At the cost of Gaea and Ascentia. All four  
  
of us had hoped to gain control of the four main elements through  
  
the harnessing ceremony. I succeeded in gaining control of the  
  
element of fire.... The bright energies of the day. And Millenia,  
  
she gained control of water, the dark energies of night. But for  
  
Gaea and Ascentia...." Galaxia went silent for a few moments. "For  
  
them... Four of us stepped onto the ceremonial platform that day.  
  
Only two stepped off."  
  
"They failed?"  
  
"They were missing. They'd vanished into thin air the very  
  
moment the ceremony had reached its peak. And the strangest thing  
  
of all is that the elements of earth and air HAD been harnessed. By  
  
whom, I don't know... Maybe they did succeed, wherever they had   
  
found themselves. But at no stage, if they were alive, did they   
  
use their powers. I mean, use them in an obvious manner."  
  
"Have you ever tried to find out what happened to them?"  
  
"Oh, in later years, I did find traces of their existences. I  
  
traced them to various locations across the universe. But by the   
  
time either Millenia or myself would get there, they were gone. It  
  
was like a cat and mouse game. One that the cats kept losing."  
  
"So they were being reborn...." Naru mused. Galaxia nodded.  
  
"Yes. From world to world, they were reborn as senshi, or   
  
miko, or even courtesans... The shogunate, so to speak.... I   
  
eventually gave up looking for them. But Millenia... she was a  
  
different one in MANY respects."  
  
Galaxia stepped away from the partition and beckoned to Naru.  
  
"Come with me for a few moments." Naru nodded. The two stepped  
  
from the chamber, leaving the catatonic Aoi to her mindlessness.   
  
Naru felt strange, like walking in this body was more an   
  
acrobatic feat than a natural, unconcious act. She was a good foot   
  
or so taller than she had been before, which gave her quite a tall   
  
figure for a woman. Certainly, she was now looking down on the   
  
long-suffering Aoi. She rather liked the sense of height, the   
  
capacity to look down on others. Except when it came to tangling up   
  
legs and feet due to a mind that hadn't been calibrated with the   
  
body. Still, she wondered why this had happened. Every time she  
  
had seen her reflection, she saw Tranquility staring back....  
  
She followed Galaxia through the huge cavern that contained  
  
the millions of sleeping senshi, miko etc.... The red lighting   
  
giving the store a kind of apocalyptic feel. Off to one side was  
  
another doorway, that they stepped through.   
  
This lead to a small but light passage, made to look green   
  
because of the colour of the lighting. She couldn't say much for   
  
the tastes of the interior designers of this place.... Soon, they   
  
found themselves facing a very simple set of ornamental doors that   
  
ended the passageway. Naru had trouble finding the hinges on either   
  
side.  
  
Galaxia was about to touch one of the door handles, but   
  
paused, looking back at Naru for a few moments.  
  
"You know, Millenia never did anything without some kind of  
  
reason. Even before the Harnessing, she was a manipulative sort.  
  
But she didn't have anywhere near the power she has now." Naru  
  
frowned at Galaxia, not following her train of thought. "Naru...  
  
Tranquility... Would you like to open these doors?"  
  
"Umm... If you insist..." Galaxia stepped aside and allowed  
  
Naru to stand before the doors. Naru reached down, slowly, and   
  
touched the door handle. She could feel the energies within the  
  
metal, running through her like some kind of security check. There  
  
was a soft chime, and the doors swung open.  
  
Not just open.... For the doors were nowhere near as small as  
  
they appeared from the passageway. Naru peered through the opening  
  
and saw the doors swinging hundreds of meters away from the   
  
entrance. On the other side, the doors were literally walls....  
  
Then Naru registered the light. What appeared to be a beacon  
  
sitting in the middle of the vast, darkened chamber. She studied   
  
it, trying to make out its distance.  
  
"What is that?" She asked softly as she registered the path   
  
leading to it actually disappeared into a thin line in the distance.   
  
Whatever it was had to have been pretty bright, because they were a   
  
good half an hour's walk from it. When Naru didn't receive a   
  
response from her companion, she turned.  
  
Galaxia was staring at her in a manner that suggested both  
  
curiosity and wonderment... Mixed in with a little sadness. She  
  
shook herself from her reverie. "Ahh, this... This is... Well. I  
  
suggest we have a look at it for ourselves. It is most   
  
interesting."  
  
"What is it?" Naru repeated the question, sounding rather   
  
more tired than she'd intended.  
  
Galaxia's lips quivered, slightly. "Its... The Cauldron  
  
itself." Naru's eyes widened and she turned back to look at the   
  
distant light.  
  
"NO WAY!" She gasped.  
  
"Indeed." Galaxia stepped forward, proudly. "This is the  
  
reason why we call this construction the Keep of the Cauldron. Its   
  
where we keep the thing." Galaxia chuckled to herself.  
  
"How did you ever find it...?" She thought for a few seconds.   
  
"A power source such as this.... Virtually unguarded..."  
  
"No, not entirely unguarded. There is the Corps of the   
  
Originals.... A group of those who are purebred Homeworlders,  
  
dedicated to guarding the Keep. I have sent them away for the time  
  
being...." Galaxia smiled. "But then, they are only here to guard  
  
the sleepers, anyway. This room has its own defences, powered by  
  
the elemental energies of the system."  
  
"So how was I able to just open the door like that? I'm not  
  
even a senshi of this world...."  
  
"How indeed. There are only four people capable of opening  
  
these doors. Myself, Millenia, Ascentia... and Gaea." Galaxia  
  
underlined the last name.  
  
Naru stared at her, quietly. The meaning of her words only  
  
slowly starting to sink in. "Perhaps... You should tell me more  
  
about this Gaea, and her relationship with Millenia."  
  
They started forward. Naru felt a little nervous as the path  
  
to the beacon was a sheer edge, dropping into a darkened pit of  
  
indeterminate depth. As they walked, Galaxia spoke.  
  
"Gaea was Millenia's lover. In a way. In those days,   
  
homosexual relationships were... fairly illicit and frowned upon.  
  
They weren't discouraged, but there was an element of social   
  
disapproval. All the same, they were both top students of the   
  
Academy, and the daughters of rich families."  
  
"Sounds like Tranquility and Naiad." Naru almost cringed  
  
when she said that, especially as Galaxia seemed to agree with the  
  
idea so strongly.  
  
"But there had been a triangle between them and Ascentia, who  
  
was male. Perhaps both Gaea and Millenia were bisexual, I don't   
  
know. They would both play a relationship with Ascentia off each   
  
other. There were times when it was quite embarassing to watch  
  
the three making fools of themselves."  
  
"What were they like? Personally, I mean?"  
  
"They lived up to their elemental aspects. Gaea was very   
  
simple and basic in her wants and needs. She was emotional and   
  
creative, but also very conservative and practical. Millenia, on  
  
the other hand, was a VERY different creature. She, too, was   
  
emotional and creative. Perhaps moreso than Gaea, for reasons that  
  
she was NOT conservative in her attitudes and views. Her personal  
  
needs were very complex. She was attractive... Extremely so. I  
  
was often envious of her wasted beauty..."  
  
"Yes, you said you used to envy her..."  
  
"Hmm.... She was a gorgeously exotic woman.... Not the   
  
figure you saw in that dreamworld created when you were fused with  
  
the water element.... That was what she became after a few thousand  
  
years. No, in her heyday she was more loved, and more highly   
  
respected, than the rest of us put together.... I guess there is an  
  
attraction to the dark and mysterious. Millenia became an   
  
attractive representative of those aspects of human nature."  
  
"The attraction to evil."  
  
"Not evil, as such, but the antithesis. I don't think you   
  
could ever use the term evil when referring to Millenia." Galaxia  
  
bit her lower lip. "Then there was Ascentia. He was particularly  
  
strange. Not in an unlikeable way. In fact, he was the most   
  
sociable of all of us. He just had his moments where he seemed to  
  
be more interested in intellectual pursuits.... At the expense of  
  
his social life. It would come and go. I don't think I ever quite  
  
grasped who the real Ascentia was...."  
  
"A private individual."  
  
"A flittering intellectual would be the term. I'd hate to  
  
think what would happen to him if he were born into a body that was  
  
less than perfect.... Because he was a most beautiful man. Long  
  
white hair, clear skin, steel grey eyes.... He had the capacity to  
  
hypnotise with those eyes."  
  
Naru shivered. And that sounds exactly like Astute, she   
  
thought to herself. Exactly, said a little voice in her head. She  
  
looked at Galaxia, who was smiling at her. You bloody cow, she   
  
thought. Stop reading my mind. Why? Said the voice. Does it  
  
frighten you that your mind is so open to my probings? Just get  
  
out!  
  
"I'm out of there." Galaxia said, eventually. "You have a   
  
nice mind, you know. So clear and uncomplicated. Except for the  
  
fact you willingly participated in the murder of someone who used to  
  
be your friend."  
  
"Who said that was willing. I was the victim of suggestions  
  
planted in my mind in a manner not unlike what you did just now."  
  
"And what about that makes you a victim? You have more than  
  
enough power within you to defend yourself against the ministrations  
  
of someone versed in mind manipulation through biochemical   
  
interface."  
  
"Well, I didn't know then how to use it. And I'm not entirely  
  
versed with it now, either."  
  
Galaxia sighed. "Oh well, at least I detected within you a   
  
concern for those you have left behind on your home planet. Mostly  
  
for one who goes by the name of Umino Gurio."  
  
Umino.... Naru stopped in her tracks, and Galaxia followed   
  
suit. Her face fell and she began to shiver.  
  
"Did you love this man? This Umino Gurio?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So why did you leave him behind when Pluto came to you that   
  
day? The day she told you the truth about everything?"  
  
"I didn't leave him. I just.... I shunned him. No, that's  
  
not the right word. I knew what they had been involved with was  
  
dangerous, and I didn't want him to get hurt."  
  
"You did hurt him, though. From what I've been able to   
  
collect in your mind, he was particularly upset. Was he not?"  
  
Naru began to tremble even more.  
  
"But the one who was hurt the most was you, in having to tell  
  
him to keep out of your life. For a while, anyway."  
  
"He's so fragile. He's always been that way. Because of the  
  
way he looks, and the way he acts around others, he hurts inside.  
  
But that's just him. And I left him behind, the only girl he'd ever  
  
been able to get that close to. Jeez, I'm a rampant idiot,   
  
sometimes."  
  
"Yes, you are."  
  
"Don't show me any sympathy, why don't you."  
  
"Okay. I won't. Would you like to see how things are back on  
  
your world as we continue on our walk?"  
  
"Ano..." Naru turned and looked over the side of the walkway.  
  
"How does one achieve this?"  
  
"I implant the images into your mind as we walk along."  
  
"Uh, things are hard enough as they are. And besides, I don't  
  
exactly feel like walking over the side."  
  
"The Cauldron protects all of its visitors from harm. You   
  
have nothing to fear."  
  
Naru stared at her in total silence, eventually nodding. They  
  
continued walking.  
  
----o  
  
Jadeite arrived at the scene of what appeared to be nothing   
  
short of a small nuclear blast. In the epicentre of the now-dead  
  
explosion, sitting on a rock, was the Youma Usagi. She held a lead,  
  
which was tied around the neck of a moderately injured Mars, who was   
  
on the ground on all fours. Moderately, if you discounted the fact   
  
that she no longer had her sight. The Youma was now wearing a short   
  
dress. Jadeite was damned if he knew where she'd got the thing   
  
from. She also appeared none the worse for wear after her brush   
  
with being roasted.  
  
"What is going on here?" Naru asked. "Is that Usagi?"  
  
"Not really." Galaxia sniffed. "That, for all that it   
  
appears, is a Youma.... A beast of the Dark Kingdom. The negative  
  
forces that exist within that system. Although, that can only be  
  
said to be partly true. She DOES contain the spirit of Serenity,  
  
the positive forces...."  
  
"So if she does, why is she doing that to Sailormars...   
  
Treating her in such a manner...."  
  
"What would you do to someone you knew had killed you, if   
  
you'd had every form of social morality removed?"  
  
"I'd probably be doing what she is doing now."  
  
"Precisely."  
  
"Can I ask a question?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Why am I being so calm about this?"  
  
"Why indeed? Perhaps you suddenly feel you no longer belong  
  
simply to the constricting demands of that world."  
  
"Hello Jade-chan." The Youma grinned, pulling on the lead a  
  
couple of times. "Say hello to our guest, Rex."  
  
"Wan... Wanwanwan." Mars said deliriously.  
  
"Wh... What are you doing to her?" Jadeite strode forward.   
  
"How did you unfuse her from her element?"  
  
"Oh, Jade-chan. I AM Serenity. I can do whatever I like with  
  
the powers I have been given. And ONE of those powers is the   
  
capacity to emulate everything my senshi are capable of. It was  
  
simplicity in itself. Wasn't it, Rex?"  
  
"Wanwanwan!"  
  
"St...Stop that! How could you degrade her that way?"  
  
"Easy. Would you like to see a little bit more?" The Youma  
  
jumped from the rock and stepped up beside Mars, who flinched when  
  
she sensed her presence. "Now, doggy, play dead. Roll over. Beat  
  
your head a couple of times against the ground..."  
  
"ENOUGH!" Jadeite shrieked and the Youma stood, smiling.  
  
"Oh, really, Jade-chan. This emotional attachment to this...  
  
thing..." She kicked Mars in the side a couple of times. The   
  
senshi fell to the ground, clutching herself.  
  
"She used to be my lover... In the old Kingdom.... Please...  
  
I don't want to see her harmed..."  
  
"Oh YEAH? So why did you give me this body, eh?" She   
  
snorted. "You knew what I was going to do with it. And besides,  
  
who said that memory, of her being your lover in the Silver   
  
Millenium, is even true? Anyone can have their memories altered by  
  
those with sufficient ability. I'd say someone has had a field day  
  
with you."  
  
"What are you trying to say?"  
  
The Youma dropped the lead, which, as if it had a life of its  
  
own, wrapped itself around the arms and legs of Mars, bending her  
  
back painfully. "Stay!" The Youma wagged a finger at the prone  
  
Mars and slowly started to step forward, towards Jadeite.  
  
"Now, Jade-chan. I suppose you want me to spare this girl's  
  
pathetic little existence? Well, that's all well and good, and as it   
  
turns out, I'd rather kill her. But I will consider it if you give   
  
me one thing..."  
  
"And that would be?"  
  
The Youma giggled, continuing forward, swinging her hips   
  
slightly, a smile on her face. He'd seen that look before.  
  
"Oh no... I'm not going to do that."  
  
"Why, Jade-chan? Aren't I good enough for you?"  
  
"Call it a habit of mine. Never screw anyone who had a habit  
  
of trying to kill you in the past."  
  
The Youma giggled. "You have such a way with words." She   
  
stepped right up to Jadeite and put her arms around his shoulders.  
  
She stared into his face. For some reason, he found the look in  
  
her eyes to be quite disturbing, not to mention disturbed.  
  
"I'm sure you can fit in a bit of room for me, Jade-chan.  
  
Wouldn't you like to test your craftsmanship?"  
  
"I can't... Not with you..."  
  
"Oohh, Jade-chan. Don't tell me the good Knight of the  
  
Silver Millenium is feeling squeamish about taking advantage of  
  
his once and future Queen?" She giggled and planted her mouth on  
  
his.  
  
He was shocked about the forthrightness of the action. The  
  
Youma had to hold him tightly to settle his protests. He seemed to  
  
go still, and she let out an appreciative groan.  
  
Then he pushed her away, taking a step back. She stared at  
  
him in surprise.  
  
"NO! I said NO and I mean NO!" He shouted at her. Mars   
  
cocked her head, as if listening to this.  
  
The Youma's face went dark. She gritted her teeth and shook  
  
angrily. "JADEITE! YOU REFUSE ME!?!?!" Jadeite shivered. It was  
  
no longer the voice of Usagi speaking. "I AM YOUR QUEEN, JADEITE.  
  
YOY SHALL OBEY ME! YOU SHALL OBEY ME!"  
  
Jadeite felt himself being drawn forward. The Youma energies  
  
being fired at him from her affecting his mind. There was no more  
  
resistance from him as she gripped him by the hair, pulling his head  
  
back.  
  
"I AM YOUR QUEEN, JADEITE! YOU SHALL PLEASURE ME UPON MY   
  
DEMAND! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"  
  
"Be... Beryl..." Jadeite croaked. The Youma laughed.  
  
"WHO ELSE DID YOU EXPECT ME TO BE, LITTLE MAN! YOU HAVE GIVEN  
  
ME A NEW BODY. NOW, YOU SHALL GIVE ME YOURS!"  
  
"St...stop this! Please."  
  
She laughed and threw him on the ground, pinning his arms with   
  
her knees. She grabbed his shirt and tore it off viciously with one   
  
hand, punching him in his already-wounded face with the other.   
  
Blood flew from a reopened wound, splattering on her fingers. She   
  
stared at the blood and licked it off lasciviously. She then leaned   
  
down and kissed him fully on the mouth.  
  
"Enough!" Naru croaked. "I don't want to see any more of  
  
this!" She shuddered.  
  
"Very well. We shall move to other events." Galaxia nodded.  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
and again  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
END OF PART 16  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Notes  
  
A major rewrite of this chapter. A lot of new stuff added. If you  
  
have the old version of chapter 16, you'll know how much has  
  
changed.  
  
You'll also know there is NO WAY Usagi is Dead shall be finished by   
  
the end of chapter 17, something that is going to get me in trouble  
  
with Will Wolfshohl (sorry Will ^_^;;)  
  
Chapter 17 is now "The Dark and Variable Indecisions", and should be  
  
out pretty soon.  
  
DDFA darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
20th Feb 1998 


	17. Part 17: The Dark and Variable Indecisio...

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 17  
  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
For those who haven't yet worked out what the "IASFU OA FWSS IASFU   
  
OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST" bit means yet, you'll find out.... In  
  
part twenty. :)  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so  
  
these characters really belong to them, except ones I made up. You  
  
know who they are! They're the ones that run around doing bad   
  
things to the original cast. ^_^ Well, most of them, anyway.  
  
Part Seventeen  
  
The Dark and Variable Indecisions  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The Youma's face went dark. She gritted her teeth and shook  
  
angrily. "JADEITE! YOU REFUSE ME!?!?!" Jadeite shivered. It was  
  
no longer the voice of Usagi speaking. "I AM YOUR QUEEN, JADEITE.  
  
YOU SHALL OBEY ME! YOU SHALL OBEY ME!"  
  
Jadeite felt himself being drawn forward. The Youma energies  
  
being fired at him from her affecting his mind. There was no more  
  
resistance from him as she gripped him by the hair, pulling his head  
  
back.  
  
"I AM YOUR QUEEN, JADEITE! YOU SHALL PLEASURE ME UPON MY   
  
DEMAND1 DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"  
  
"Be... Beryl..." Jadeite croaked. The Youma laughed.  
  
"WHO ELSE DID YOU EXPECT ME TO BE, LITTLE MAN! YOU HAVE GIVEN  
  
ME A NEW BODY. NOW, YOU SHALL GIVE ME YOURS!"  
  
"St...stop this! Please."  
  
She laughed and threw him on the ground, pinning his arms with   
  
her knees. She grabbed his shirt and tore it off viciously with one   
  
hand, punching him in his already-wounded face with the other.   
  
Blood flew from a reopened wound, splattering on her fingers. She   
  
stared at the blood and licked it off lasciviously. She then leaned   
  
down and kissed him fully on the mouth.  
  
----o  
  
"Enough!" Naru croaked. "I don't want to see any more of  
  
this!" She shuddered.  
  
"Very well. We shall move to other events." Galaxia nodded.  
  
----o  
  
An old yellow bus was plowing through groups of hideously  
  
wounded people, who were clawing at its sides like zombies.  
  
"What... What the hell is this?" Naru blinked in surprise.  
  
"This is what is happening right at this very moment. Your  
  
friend, Sailorvenus, lies in that bus, grievously wounded."  
  
"Mi... Mina-chan?"  
  
"She is alright for the moment, but for how much longer, I  
  
wonder...."  
  
"Who are those people, attacking the bus?"  
  
"They are no longer alive. They are part of a collective  
  
creature that is generally known across the universe as a Resonator.  
  
Horrible creatures... They are a kind of mind parasite, capable  
  
of taking over not only the nervous system of others, but   
  
incorporating the bodies of their dead victims to increase their  
  
own physical presence."  
  
"These don't look like they've been incorporated."  
  
"Indeed not. The Resonator, stupid creature that it is, has  
  
used up most of its energy reserves in showing off, laying waste  
  
to a goodly portion of the city."A goodly portion? Naru's head   
  
spun... What about my parents?  
  
What about my Guri-chan?  
  
"What the hell is going on?" Maisagi said as she gritted her  
  
teeth. Lina and Meimi were holding onto the driver's seat as   
  
Maisagi swerved the bus through a corner, towards a section of the  
  
city that was lined with skyscrapers.  
  
"What are they, anyway? Why the hell are they attacking us?"  
  
Sae said before lurching back from the window as one of the   
  
Resonator's victims smashed against it, shattering its head and   
  
chest. Both VesVes and Minako could see the face of what used   
  
to be an old man, his mouth wide open, clawing at the glass. His  
  
hand was reaching for a hold on the window, trying to slide it. But  
  
before he managed to move the window, the bus ran along a   
  
streetlight, and he was scraped off, leaving a massive trail of   
  
blood along the side.  
  
"What do they want from us? We haven't done anything wrong."  
  
Usagika held Minako's hand tightly, clearly frightened as more   
  
bodies pounded against the front window. Minako looked at her   
  
blearily, praying that her final moments of life didn't end in this  
  
melee'. She turned to VesVes, whose face had gone stern, and pale.  
  
"There is only one thing they want." She said sadly. "Its  
  
the Resonator...." Minako frowned.  
  
"The what?" She croaked.  
  
"It said it would hunt us down, no matter where we went."   
  
VesVes bit her lower lip and looked at Minako. "It doesn't want  
  
you yet. Just me."  
  
"W.. Wait! What are you..."  
  
VesVes stood as the windscreen began to crack. Maisagi, who  
  
had managed to contain herself thus far, let out a small gasp.   
  
"Lina, prepare one of your fire spells."  
  
"B... But this space is too confined."  
  
"Throw it OUT the front when these bastards finally smash  
  
through it."  
  
"There won't be any need for that." VesVes said simply, and  
  
looked up at the hole in the roof. Lina and Meimi looked back at   
  
her, and Maisagi glanced in the mirror.  
  
"What are you going to do?"  
  
"End this for sure."  
  
And with that, VesVes leapt through the roof of the bus. She  
  
landed heavily on a wall nearby. "Hey! HEY! Over here, you   
  
freaks!" Almost automatically, the animated cadavers turned to face  
  
her, surging towards her and away from the bus.  
  
"VESTA ASTEROID POWER, MAKE UP!" In seconds, VesVes's   
  
appearance changed. Her lycra running gear turning into a red and  
  
white sailorfuku, strangely similar but stylistically different to  
  
Rei's. Her long hair was now tied up in a long, expansive tail that  
  
rose close to three feet. Even as she finished transforming, the  
  
cadavers were pushing each other up the wall. Now, as Sailorvesta,  
  
she leapt from the wall and onto the roof of a nearby building,   
  
smiling at her pursuers.  
  
Minako was up against the window, being held by Usagika.   
  
Somehow managing to find the energy. Even as she felt that energy  
  
beginning to subside, requiring Sae's assistance in holding her up,  
  
she stared at Vesta, who smiled back and waved. Minako closed her  
  
eyes and shivered, and saw the body of a young, red-haired girl,  
  
lying in the halls of the Palace of the Moon Kingdom. A girl who  
  
died for nothing.  
  
----o  
  
"Why did she do that?" Naru frowned.  
  
"Because the Resonator would have had those bodies tear into  
  
the bus and kill everyone inside, just to get to her."  
  
"Who is she, anyway? I can't seem to remember a Sailorvesta  
  
being mentioned anywhere...."  
  
"That's because the core group of the Senshi have never been  
  
involved with the Asteroid Senshi. There are three distinct groups  
  
of senshi that surround the Queen. The Inner Senshi, or the   
  
Personal Guard, the Outer Senshi, or the War Lords, and the Asteroid  
  
Senshi, or the Shadow Boxers. It wasn't often that the three groups  
  
would intermingle in the past.... It was part of the Doctrine of   
  
the Separation of Powers.... As with the Miko, who represented the  
  
spiritual aspect of the kingdom within their three groups of four."  
  
Naru's head spun with this information. "Why three groups of  
  
four? What purpose did this serve?"  
  
"Hmm... Don't know. It was written within the ancient texts  
  
of my world that this was the pattern to be used."  
  
----o  
  
Vesta raised high above the city, trying on her flight powers  
  
for the first time in a long time, hoping to put as much air between  
  
her and the writhing mass of bodies that were following her every  
  
move. She looked down and was surprised to see the bodies hadn't  
  
fused together, like she expected... Like they had before when the  
  
Resonator had rampaged violently across the city. That meant   
  
something had gone wrong, with the Resonator. Either its powers  
  
were low, or it was foxing her.  
  
Before she had time to think, a beam of energy flew from a  
  
large distance and struck her square in the back. Vesta let out a  
  
short cry as blood flew from her mouth....  
  
----o  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
and again  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
...speak words above evolving pain...  
  
----o  
  
Both Juno and Pallas stopped for a moment and stared at each  
  
other, a look of shock crossing their faces. Mamoru and Chibiusa  
  
stopped and looked back at them as Pallas clenched her fist AND her  
  
teeth.  
  
"What is it? What happened?" Mamoru inquired.  
  
"DAMMIT! DAMMIT TO HELL!" Pallas looked around her, as if  
  
she were about to throw a tantrum and wanted a nice safe place to do  
  
it. Juno took her by the shoulders.  
  
"Settle down! Everything's alright. I can still feel her  
  
signature."  
  
"SHE'S DYING!" Pallas spat, shaking her head roughly. "Palla  
  
Palla doesn't like dying. Dying is bad." Her tone of voice seemed  
  
to revert to a kind of childish basic that the others couldn't  
  
remember hearing from her before. Juno gripped Pallas by the  
  
shoulders and shook her.  
  
"Now is not the time to fall apart. Remember who you are now,  
  
not what you were then...."  
  
Behind the Asteroids, Neptune and Uranus gripped their shorter   
  
cousins roughly.  
  
"Are you two FINISHED? We'll lose Usashin and Jupiter if we  
  
just stand here..." Neptune-Uranus said, angrily. Pallas lashed  
  
out at her, but Neptune-Uranus stopped her easily. At first, Pallas  
  
thought about punching the aqua-haired senshi, but realised the mind  
  
running the body wasn't likely to take the hint. Uranus did tend to  
  
hold things against people that way.  
  
Instead, it was Juno who walloped them both, much to Pallas's  
  
surprise. "Get your FUCKING hands off us. One of our friends is  
  
mortally wounded, and we're feeling her death."  
  
"Wh.. who?" Chibiusa looked at her as the two Outer Senshi  
  
rubbed sore chins. She spun on them.  
  
"VesVes... She's dying... You'll never understand... You're  
  
just a pathetic... I mean..." Juno was shivering. Now it was   
  
Pallas's turn to try to calm her.  
  
Juno just saw the body of her dead friend, lying alone in the  
  
halls of the Palace of the dying Moon Kingdom. She only had minutes  
  
to live, herself. One of Jadeite's Youmas attacked her. She   
  
successfully defeated it, but found herself mortally wounded in the  
  
process.  
  
And she died. Alone. As alone as VesVes was now.  
  
----o  
  
Misagi stood at the rear of the group with Akunatsuka,   
  
sighing, and sat on the wall that lined the street. She opened one   
  
of the beers from the sixpack she was carrying and began to scoff it   
  
down, looking up into the sky.  
  
It looked like the end of the world up there. Well, there was  
  
another world up there, but that was beside the point. If it was   
  
the end of the world, the end of everything, she was going to go   
  
out, enjoying it.  
  
She heard Akunatsuka clearing his throat, his hand held out.  
  
She sighed and handed him one of the cans.  
  
----o  
  
Jupiter looked back and noticed that their companions had been  
  
left behind. She came to a screeching stop, grabbing Usashin's arm  
  
roughly. This caused the pair to sprawl across the ground. Both   
  
Luna and Artemis had to scatter to avoid being crushed.  
  
"What did you do that for?" Usashin looked across at her, her  
  
face a calm but enquiring mask.  
  
"Cos the others are gone. We might lose them if we go any   
  
further." Jupiter stood, helping up Usashin. Just as they did so,  
  
crackles of lightning-like energy spread across the sky, towards the  
  
tendrils of the Eternal City. They stared at it with wonder.  
  
"What's happening?"  
  
"It would appear the tear itself is now collapsing. The   
  
physical laws of both dimensions are trying to meld."  
  
"That's bad, right?"  
  
Usashin sweatdropped. "Uh, yeah, pretty much."  
  
Artemis sniffed after preening himself. "I think we should go  
  
back and see what has happened to them."  
  
"You mean WE should go. We might have gotten a little ahead  
  
of them, and they've lost their way." Luna said haughtily. She   
  
turned to Jupiter and Usashin. "You two wait here. We'll guide   
  
them to you."  
  
They nodded, and both cats took off in the direction from   
  
whence they came.  
  
----o  
  
"Is what she said true? About the breach?" Naru stared at   
  
Galaxia.  
  
"I'm afraid so." Galaxia nodded grimly. "And I'm afraid the  
  
two dimensions shall not be able to meld."  
  
"What will happen, then?"  
  
"Total annhialation. Everything will cease to exist in a   
  
matter of moments."  
  
"What? This entire universe?"  
  
"Indeed."  
  
"How? What kind of power does that other universe possess?"  
  
"The power of the Cauldron itself. It was created through the  
  
rubbish elements that were thrown off during the Harnessing of the  
  
Sol System. During the Harnessings, the power of the Cauldron is  
  
utilised to bring the elements to heel. Unfortunately, Sol didn't  
  
want to be controlled, and still doesn't, so it took an   
  
extraordinary amount of power to do so."  
  
  
  
----o  
  
The Youma Usagi stood from Jadeite's bleeding and naked form  
  
as the ex-Youma General groaned. She looked down at him, pityingly.  
  
"Well, you were as well built as the rumours said." She chuckled.  
  
"Unfortunately, you just don't have the stomach for my tastes. Oh  
  
well." She snapped her fingers, and Mars was released from her   
  
bonds, then picked up her dress and put it back on.  
  
"I give to you, Jadeite, the prize to which you seek. Use it  
  
well in what little time we may all have to live." She stared down  
  
at the man as he tried to sit up, staring at her.  
  
"I thought you'd do something like this." The Youma turned  
  
to see Sailorceres standing on the edge of the blast circle. She  
  
smiled, bowing.  
  
"Well, I don't want to disappoint an appreciative audience.  
  
How long were you standing there?"  
  
"For most of it. You're right, he is well built. But I  
  
prefer my men to be a bit more consensual in their lovemaking."  
  
The Youma chuckled. "If only you've seen some of the things  
  
some men have done to girls I've met during my travels.... So what  
  
if I like to do it back to them?"  
  
"That's not how you treated Professor Tomoe." Ceres put her  
  
hands on her hips as the Youma gawked at her.  
  
"How do you know about the Professor and I? That is..."  
  
"In the future, yes. Time is nothing to me. I already knew  
  
what was going to happen here. That's why I knew where to look."  
  
"So, you contain an element of time powers, do you?"  
  
"Hardly. I'm merely precognitive. And anyway, I only came  
  
to collect these two. Now if you will excuse me..." Ceres began  
  
forward.  
  
"Whoa... Just what do you think you are doing?"  
  
"My job. If I'm not able to pool the powerbase these two  
  
contain, with the others, then we shall cease to exist in   
  
approximately twenty minutes. And anyway, you don't have a beef   
  
with me. So, if you would please...?" She gestured to the Youma.  
  
Flashes of lightning distracted the both of them for a few  
  
moments, then the Youma giggled.  
  
"You can't frighten me like that. I've seen the future."  
  
"Did you see the right future?" Ceres looked at her   
  
unemotionally. "The one where everything is eradicated? And I mean  
  
everything."  
  
The Youma sneered. "So? Why should I care? I have greater  
  
powers than the all of you put together."  
  
"Your powers will not be able to stop this, even combined with  
  
the powers of every living being across the universe, once it   
  
starts."  
  
The Youma shivered. "NO! I came back for a reason. To kill  
  
these bastards. If I am to die in the process, then so be it!" The  
  
Youma snapped her fingers and disappeared. Ceres blinked a couple  
  
of times, crossing her hands in front of her. She slowly padded  
  
down into the bowl of the blast, and knelt beside Jadeite as she   
  
watched Mars crawling towards her.  
  
"She is an impetuous one, Jadeite. I can't even begin to   
  
understand what drove you to bring her back." She huffed as he  
  
looked up at her. For a moment, he seemed like he was... "Now  
  
don't you start crying, you stupid fool. You can't tell me that  
  
stood to attention for no particular reason." She pointed to his  
  
lower regions.  
  
"And besides..." She leaned down to him, sneering. "I   
  
remember who it was who killed me in the Kingdom. Do you, Jadeite?  
  
Would you like a taste of some of the pain you inflicted upon me?"  
  
He stared up at her, frightened by the sudden change in both her   
  
expression and tone. So all the stories he had heard about her were  
  
true. She DID have a dual personality.  
  
"Usa.... Uasgi... chan..." Mars croaked.  
  
Ceres shook her head, her expression suddenly softening,   
  
putting out a hand for the now-blind senshi to grab. As she dragged   
  
Mars towards her, she turned and looked up at the sky.  
  
"Casual indifference won't get you anywhere, bitch."  
  
----o  
  
Luna and Artemis stopped at the corner and looked around, to  
  
see.... Nobody. Artemis sighed and hung his head.  
  
"We're lost."  
  
"We're not lost, we've just... taken a wrong turn, somewhere."  
  
Luna sweatdropped as Artemis stared at her through dubious eyes.  
  
They heard an approaching truck, and were surprised to see a  
  
vehicle, driven by Professor Tomoe, and full of all kinds of Usagi  
  
variants, approaching them.  
  
From within the truck cabin, Ushayla had recounted everything  
  
that had lead to the opening of the breach to the Professor, and was  
  
about to go into a full, blow by blow description of what his   
  
daughter had done to cause the breach, when he hit the brakes.   
  
Ushayla's head was almost piled into the dashboard.  
  
"Hoi, what was that for?" She looked at the Professor, who  
  
was now leaning out of the window. She followed his gaze, and saw  
  
Luna and Artemis running towards them. "Hey, its those cats." She  
  
sniffed.  
  
"I can see that." Said the Professor as the two cats arrived  
  
at the base of the truck. "What are you two doing here?"  
  
"Umm..." Luna stuttered.  
  
"We're lost, cos Ms Perfect here thought she knew the way back  
  
to the others...." Luna stared daggers at Artemis, who sniffed with  
  
affected disinterest.  
  
"The others?"  
  
"Yes. Chiba Mamoru.... Tuxedo Kamen, Chibiusa, Sailoruranus,  
  
Sailorneptune and... Umm... Others."  
  
"What? You've made contact with the Asteroid Senshi?"  
  
"How do you know about the Asteroid Senshi?" Both Luna and  
  
Artemis stared at him as he opened the door.  
  
"No time to explain. Get in, if you both value your lives."  
  
"What do you mean, value our lives?"  
  
The Professor sighed. "Because everything is about to go   
  
bang. That's how I know the Asteroid Senshi... They've been in  
  
communication with me for a while, and they've told me this is to   
  
be the case."  
  
Luna and Artemis stared at each other. Everything was about   
  
to go bang? Surely not.... Unless... What was it that Mamoru and   
  
Hotaru had said? The two dimensions were incompatible. When   
  
something solid, like the Eternal City touched down, a massive  
  
cancellation would occur.... But the City couldn't make its way  
  
down by itself... It needed an avatar.  
  
Usako....  
  
----o  
  
The darkened corridors of the tunnels beneath her   
  
establishment were lit only by the fewest lights. Yes, depite  
  
their name, they were well-designed. Carpeted, painted and even  
  
decorated with paintings and sculptures, they were a testament  
  
to their owner's ego.  
  
Madame Scorpia watched as Crow and Nyanko marvelled at the  
  
arrogance of the opulence with which she had surrounded herself.  
  
Even here, in these passages, never meant to be used by anyone  
  
but herself and a few of her staff, she'd imposed herself.  
  
Mouse, having been through here already, didn't bat an  
  
eyelid. Scorpia noticed that a few of the artworks were missing  
  
from their appointed stands.  
  
"We have itchy fingers, do we?" She asked Mouse arrogantly.  
  
The small senshi looked aside at her.  
  
"I have absolutely NO idea what you're talking about, dearie."  
  
Nyanko snorted.  
  
"Its this way." Said Mouse, pointing to a corridor which lead  
  
off the one they were in, turning left.  
  
"What is?" Scorpia huffed. "Might it not be time for you to  
  
tell me where you are taking me? I find this extremely rude." She  
  
looked back at Nyanko, who prodded the weapon into her back a couple  
  
of times.  
  
"Well, lets see..." Crow took a breath. "You have your   
  
fingers into all kinds of pies, do you not? Smuggling, dealing,   
  
graft and corruption, money laundering and prostitution."  
  
"So?" Scorpia chuckled. "Its a living. And if I didn't do  
  
it, someone with less scruples than I may just take up the reins."  
  
"Someone with less scruples than you IS taking up the reins."  
  
Crow sniffed as they turned the corner. They came upon a solidly  
  
built iron door. Mouse punched in a combination on its serial lock.  
  
There was a clanging noise, and she wrenched the handle, opening it   
  
fully. The passageway beyond was eerily silent, and Scorpia raised  
  
an eyebrow.  
  
"The old safehouses? We don't use them, anymore." She   
  
sniffed, then noticed the stench coming from there. She backed   
  
away, waving a hand in front of her face. "What the hell is THAT?"  
  
"You'll see." Crow pushed her forward.  
  
All of them stepped through and Mouse shut the door behind  
  
them.  
  
----o  
  
Their reprieve had been all too brief. Now, straggling   
  
numbers of the cadavers were beginning to attack the bus again as  
  
they passed through a canyon of high towers. And then the petrol  
  
ran out. Maisagi stared at the fuel gauge in disbelief.  
  
"Aww, shit! You could have put money on it..." She gritted  
  
her teeth and brought the bus to a rolling stop when they were able  
  
to clear their pursuers. She opened the doors as Sae and Usagika  
  
lifted Minako to her feet. "I hope you have enough left in you to  
  
run, Sailor V, cos we're going to have to."  
  
"Yes, Artemis, whatever you say..." Minako mumbled. Maisagi  
  
scratched her head as something banged against the back of the bus.  
  
That was enough of a signal for the six of them to get motoring.  
  
Maisagi leapt from the bus and flicked out a pair of razor-  
  
edged fans, opening them dramatically with a twitch of her hands.  
  
She stared back at the thirty-strong group of cadavers as they  
  
shuffled along the street. Lina was out next, gritting her teeth.  
  
"Lina, use your fireballs to take that lot out. I'll deal  
  
with those who get through."  
  
"Okay!" Lina raised her hands and held them forward.   
  
"FIREBALL!" she shouted, as several of the cadavers stepped out  
  
from behind the bus. They exploded in an incindiary blast that  
  
felled everything up to 100 feet behind them. As she was doing  
  
this, Meimi peered from the doorway, then gestured to the other  
  
three.  
  
"The coast is clear for us, lets get." She jumped from the  
  
bus and helped Minako down the steps, followed by Sae and Usagika.  
  
Meimi and Sae then dragged Minako in the opposite direction to the  
  
approaching cadavers, only to come face to face with another group,  
  
as if out of nowhere. Sae panicked and almost dropped Minako. It  
  
was only Usagika that stopped this from happening.  
  
"Where? Where do we go?" Sae looked from left to right.   
  
Usagika pointed to the open doors of the nearest building.  
  
"That way. We'll lose them in there."  
  
"Or get trapped." Meimi looked dubious, but wasn't given any  
  
choice as Sae dragged Minako towards the doors. Usagika looked  
  
back and watched as Maisagi slashed into the cadavers with her fans,  
  
then stood still, placing her hands in a praying position, closing  
  
he eyes. Fire-like shadows of herself exploded outwards and   
  
consumed all those cadavers that strayed too close.  
  
"Maisagi, Lina, hurry! They're coming from the other   
  
direction!" Usagika began to back towards the doors as Maisagi   
  
heard her. She turned to see the milling cadavers approaching from  
  
the other direction with boggled eyes.  
  
"Jeez, this never ends!" She turned to Lina, who was   
  
levelling a new group with another fireball. "Hurry, or we'll be  
  
swamped from both sides." Maisagi made for the door as Usagika  
  
disappeared inside. Lina turned, seeing the opposing onslaught,  
  
and made to follow them, when she was grabbed from behind. Almost  
  
as a reflex, a fireball flew out of her hands as she tried to free  
  
herself from the two cadavers that had grabbed her.  
  
The fireball went straight up, then fell down again. Lina  
  
had just enough time to realise what was happening when she was  
  
engulfed in the flame. With a short scream, her body exploded,  
  
releasing its immense fire powers.  
  
Maisagi had heard her scream and turned, just in time to be  
  
blown through the windows that lined the door to the building,  
  
landing on top of Usagika. Sae, Meimi and Minako, who had made it  
  
to the lift doors, were pressed against them by the hot wind.  
  
Maisagi looked back, to see half the street obliterated, and  
  
the cadavers with them. Slowly, she managed to lift herself from  
  
Usagika, helping her up.  
  
"What happened? Where's Lina?" Usagika looked back.  
  
"They got her." Maisagi said, grimly. She took a few steps  
  
forward and peered out of the shattered windows. Much to her   
  
despair, those cadavers that had been obliterated in the blast were  
  
being replaced by a whole new group. She turned to her companions.  
  
"Hurry, we've got more company."  
  
"The lift isn't working!" Sae said panickingly, hitting the  
  
lift button repeatedly.  
  
"There isn't any power." Meimi turned to the stairwell that   
  
ran just off to one side. "The stairs! Take the stairs!" She  
  
dragged Minako and Sae across to the stairwell as Usagika and   
  
Maisagi backed towards them.  
  
All thoughts of fighting the cadavers off, however, ended when  
  
they saw the sheer numbers approaching the front of the building.   
  
Like the trio before them, they scattered for the stairwell.  
  
----o  
  
The sound of the explosion must have travelled far, because  
  
it distracted Uranus and Neptune as they loomed over Juno   
  
threateningly.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Uranus-Neptune muttered, looking  
  
around.  
  
"Another bang. What's so wrong with that? There have been a  
  
lot of them lately." Juno sneered.  
  
"Hoi oi oi... Settle down." Pallas gripped her partner by  
  
the shoulder and shook her. "We have other things to think about,  
  
okay?" Juno shrugged her off.  
  
"I'm sick of hearing this pair crap on.... If they want to  
  
fight and waste the last few precious minutes of our lives, then so  
  
be it!"  
  
"Tch..." Misagi spat contemptuously, and opened another beer.  
  
"Last minutes of life?" Akunatsuka looked at Misagi, who  
  
stared back, shrugging. He downed the last of his can. "Well, if  
  
that's the case.... I'm outta here." He ran, tossing the can  
  
behind him. Misagi watched him go cynically as Juno and Uranus-  
  
Neptune stared each other out.  
  
Mamoru was about to intervene when Ceres appeared in a flash,  
  
kneeling low to the ground with one hand resting on the bloodied and  
  
near-naked form of Jadeite, and the other on the dazed-looking Mars.  
  
"CERES!" Pallas jumped hopefully as her second partner stood.  
  
"Did you feel it? Vesta is in trouble! We've got to help her...."  
  
Ceres looked at her for a few moments, then shook her head.  
  
"Her destiny is different from ours. We have a job to do."  
  
Chibiusa, who had been holding Mamoru's arm, felt him pull   
  
away from her. Slowly, he began to pace towards Jadeite. When  
  
Chibiusa realised what was happening, it was too late.  
  
"Mamo-chan... Stop!"  
  
"Jadeite, you BASTARD!" Mamoru ran towards the man, who   
  
turned to him in dazed surprise. Both Ceres and Pallas were   
  
caught off guard as he ran past them, virtually jumping on the  
  
ex-General, gripping his hair. Mars scuttled away in fear, hitting  
  
a wall and collapsing, dazed.  
  
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO USAGI?!?" Mamoru screamed splenetically.  
  
Jadeite stared at him in fear.  
  
"I.. I did nothing... except save her life..."  
  
"LIAR! YOU HURT HER, DIDN'T YOU, BASTARD?"  
  
"Mamo-chan! Stop it! Please!" Chibiusa ran forward. Then,   
  
she began to feel a numbness run through her, as if the body no   
  
longer wanted to obey her commands. She stared at herself for a few   
  
moments as Ceres and Pallas remonstrated with Mamoru.  
  
"Mamo...chan..." Chibiusa felt fear rip through her as   
  
quickly as the sensation. It slowly became hard for her to   
  
breathe...  
  
Then Uranus's body glowed, followed by Juno's. Their clothes  
  
changed colour dramatically as Juno's turned into a double aqua blue   
  
minidress and Uranus's a green and white. Uranus pointed at Juno,  
  
laughing.  
  
"BWAHAHAHA! Caught you off guard there!"  
  
"Michiru?" Neptune-Uranus looked at her companion a moment.  
  
Haruka's head turned, but it wasn't Michiru who was running the  
  
show, now. "JUNO?!?!"  
  
Uranus-Juno giggled. "Who else, you LOSER? Gonna hit me NOW,  
  
eh? Come on, just a punch, right here." She pointed to her chin.  
  
For a few moments, Neptune-Uranus looked like she was considering   
  
it. Then she remembered it was her body, and likely to hurt if she  
  
ever got back into it.  
  
Then Chibiusa let out a cry, her body surrounded by crackles  
  
of energy. This was enough to distract Mamoru in his attempts to  
  
beat the living crappers out of Jadeite.  
  
"Chibiusa!" He shouted as he let the General go, finally   
  
finding himself being pulled away by Ceres and Pallas. He virtually  
  
ran Pallas down in his efforts to get to Chibiusa, who had fallen to  
  
her knees, head dropped. The energy dissipated as Mamoru grabbed  
  
her by the shoulders. "Chibiusa? Are you alright? Chibiusa..."   
  
He shook her shoulders, trying to rouse her. Slowly, she raised her  
  
head and looked up at him.  
  
"Mamo-chan?"  
  
"Chibiusa, what happened just then? Are you alright?"  
  
"Y.. Yes, I think so." She looked up at him. I... Don't know  
  
what happened. I was just... I..." She burst out in tears, and  
  
Mamoru held her.  
  
"Its alright, Chibiusa. I'm here. I won't let anything   
  
happen to you." She looked up at him. His eyes were closed as he  
  
hugged her tightly, and strange thoughts were going on inside her   
  
head.  
  
Oh father, she thought to herself... If only you knew the  
  
truth about mother....  
  
----o  
  
Their pace along the corridors had slowed down to a crawl.  
  
They passed door after door, through which small windows revealed  
  
emptiness, although it was obvious that it hadn't been that long  
  
since they were last used.  
  
"What is this?" Scorpia looked through the windows. "I  
  
haven't sanctioned any of these rooms to be used in the last couple   
  
of years."  
  
"And yet, they have." Crow nodded. "And that's not all."  
  
They reached another T junction, and they could hear sobbing.  
  
Not just the voice of one, but the voice of many. Scorpia frowned.  
  
Her voice low.  
  
"Who... who is that?"  
  
"What? You don't know?" Nyanko sneered over her shoulder.  
  
"As I said, I haven't sanctioned any of these rooms to be  
  
used. There shouldn't be anything or anyone down here."  
  
"What was it you said, Scorpia? At your dinner table? It  
  
isn't unknown for young women to disappear.... Travellers taking  
  
moonlight flits so as to not pay their bills?" Nyanko's feline  
  
movements, running her hand over Scorpia's shoulder, made every  
  
nerve in Scorpia's body jangle.  
  
"Yes, I said something like that... But..."  
  
"But nothing." Crow took Scorpia by the collar. "Would you  
  
like to meet some of those who help you earn your lifestyle,   
  
Scorpia?"  
  
"Get your hands off me." Scorpia hissed.  
  
"WOULD YOU!?!" Crow gritted her teeth angrily. Scorpia was  
  
surprised by Crow's sudden ferocity. The senshi dragged the woman  
  
along the corridor, followed by a sullen Nyanko and Mouse. Scorpia  
  
felt herself gag, surprised at Crow's strength. They reached   
  
another door with a window, and Crow gripped Scorpia by her hair and  
  
slammed her face against it.  
  
"Now LOOK Scorpia. Look at them."  
  
Scorpia stared through the window. She stared in disbelief.  
  
Inside the room were a half-dozen young women. Undernourished and  
  
bedraggled, lying in their urine and faeces. Crow let go of Scorpia  
  
and stood back as the woman just stared in at them, unable to  
  
comprehend why they were there.  
  
She looked back at Crow, seeing another door behind the   
  
senshi. She pushed Crow and looked in. It was the same thing. She  
  
moved on to the next door, and the next and the next. She shook her  
  
head in disbelief.  
  
"This isn't what I set this place up for." She looked at   
  
Crow. "It was my duty..."  
  
"As a Miko of the Kigdom to care for the people, to represent  
  
the spirituality of the people..." Crow huffed.  
  
"To stop this kind of oppression." Scorpia shook her head.  
  
"This has nothing to do with me. I'm not going to take   
  
responsibility."  
  
"Then WHO IS?" Crow grabbed her by the collar with both   
  
hands. "You set up this place. You've been running it for YEARS.  
  
Who else is there to take responsibility, eh?"  
  
"There is me." The simple, low voice caught them all off-  
  
guard. Behind Nyanko and Mouse stood Mistral, with a dozen of the  
  
Hotel's security guards. Nyanko and Mouse backed away, towards  
  
Crow and Scorpia.  
  
"MISTRAL!" Scorpia gritted her teeth. "What is the meaning  
  
of all this?" Scorpia tried to stride forward, but was gripped by  
  
Crow, holding her back.  
  
"What is the meaning? Hmm... Well, since you put it that   
  
way, lets just say that you always did expect a bit much from your  
  
employees, did you not? We had to do something to... Supplement  
  
your expensive tastes."  
  
"Through SLAVE TRADING?" Scorpia's face went red. "I SAVED  
  
you from that fate, don't you remember?"  
  
"Hmm.. I do seem to have some vague recollection of those  
  
days. But then, I was always in awe of those men who sent me from  
  
house to house, making a profit at my expense."  
  
"I can't believe this." Scorpia shook her head.  
  
Mistral smiled. "Yes, well... I guess we can add you four to  
  
the collection, can't we? I'm quite sure girls of this quality will  
  
fetch a fair price." He gestured to the senshi. "And as for you,  
  
Scorpia... Or should I say Arachne-sama? As for you, we can make  
  
more money than from the rest of this collection put together."  
  
Scorpia shook her head, disbelievingly, as Mistral snapped his  
  
fingers and stepped away.  
  
"MISTRAL! MISTRAL, YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!" It   
  
was made even worse when she heard him laugh.  
  
The security guards converged on the four girls, who backed   
  
away. Nyanko looked aside. "Umm, guys, I'd cover your eyes."  
  
"Why?" Crow let out a stressed squeak.  
  
Nyanko didn't answer her... She just held out her   
  
knuckleduster weapon. Scorpia was the first to react, jamming her  
  
eyes shut and throwing a hand over Mouse's. Crow ducked behind the  
  
both of them as Nyanko pressed the weapon's trigger.  
  
In a fraction of a second, the entire passageway was filled  
  
with light. When they were able to open their eyes again, the   
  
security guards were scorch marks on the floor and walls.  
  
"Did you get Mistral?" Scorpia let go of Mouse and grabbed  
  
Nyanko, who was making a strange little dazed exclamation, her  
  
tongue sticking out and her eyes spiralling. Scorpia sweatdropped.  
  
They could hear footsteps. Running footsteps. Scorpia   
  
gritted her teeth and reached into Nyanko's jacket, pulling out an  
  
impressively large looking rifle that ended in a cat's paw. One  
  
that shouldn't really have been able to fit into Nyanko's jacket,  
  
but Scorpia wasn't complaining. She took off after Mistral as  
  
Nyanko slid to the floor, still dazed.  
  
"I think I put a bit too much energy into that weapon."   
  
Nyanko muttered. Crow sighed, shaking her head.  
  
"Mousie, you know another way out of here?"  
  
"Uh, yeah."  
  
"Then I suggest we open up all these doors and start causing  
  
a little bit of a fuss."  
  
Mouse put her fingers over her nose. "Must we?"  
  
Crow gave Mouse a stern look.  
  
"It was only a question...."  
  
----o  
  
Jupiter sat on the wall, staring at her feet. She looked   
  
back, along the road, wondering just what the hell had happened to  
  
those who were supposed to be following both herself and Usashin.  
  
The samurai Usagi was leaning against the wall, her eyes closed,  
  
obviously not anywhere near as concerned. It frustrated her that  
  
the Usagi couldn't take situations more seriously.  
  
"I'm going back, to see what has happened to them." Jupiter  
  
jumped from the wall as Usashin looked up at her.  
  
"Oro?" Usashin scratched her head. "Why bother, they'll be  
  
be here in their own good time."  
  
"I don't think we have time to wait for them." She looked  
  
up at the sky, which had now gone from a light pinkish-red to a deep  
  
blood red. Even with the sun up, she found things were getting   
  
darker. Usashin gave the sky a cursory glance.  
  
"Its best not to let such things distract you. The world   
  
shall not be destroyed if we prevent the City from making contact  
  
with the ground."  
  
"And how are we going to achieve that?"  
  
"Through the one person who can, apparently, communicate with   
  
the City." She looked away. Jupiter cursed and began to pace.  
  
"And she has run off to Kami knows where...."  
  
There was a flash behind them, on the other side of the wall,  
  
and they heard some coughing as dust was thrown up. Usashin stood  
  
and watched as the Youma Usagi emerged, trying to wave the dust from  
  
her face.  
  
"Bugger... Still haven't got that down pat." She looked up  
  
at the sky. "Whoo, now that's pretty, I must say." She snorted and  
  
looked down at her two acquaintances. "Ah, Sailorjupiter, and yet  
  
another version of me...." She facefaulted. "Oh come on, I wasn't  
  
into Rurouni Kenshin that much. Why couldn't you have based   
  
yourself on someone like Matsuura Yuu from Marmalade Boy or some   
  
other good-looking guy."  
  
"Because Matsuura Yuusagi would have been insulted."  
  
"What, you mean there WAS one?" The Youma facefaulted again.  
  
"Aww jeez, I was only joking."  
  
"So was I." Usashin smiled sweetly. "And you are the   
  
infamous Youma version of Tsukino Usagi, I take it?"  
  
"What makes you think that?" She smiled.  
  
"Because you have a sign hanging around your neck that says   
  
so." Usashin pointed to her chest and she looked down. Lo and   
  
behold, there was a sign there. And it said 'I am the Youma Usagi',   
  
no less!  
  
"That bloody Sailorceres! She tricked me! How the hell did  
  
she get that there, anyway?" She chuckled. "Anyways, I guess you  
  
already get the idea. I'm death. The grim reaper. All that crap.  
  
And I'm here to kill you. So, if you wouldn't be so kind..."  
  
Jupiter had heard enough of this. "Yeah, and I heard you   
  
killed all those people at that police station.... That must have  
  
felt real good."  
  
The Youma looked at her. "Do I know you? Ah yes,   
  
Sailorjupiter! The one who got BLIND DRUNK the night I was killed.  
  
Yes, I remember now. You were one of those who lead me to my   
  
death."  
  
"So?" Jupiter laughed. It annoyed the hell out of the Youma.  
  
"What do you mean, so?"  
  
"I mean, you aren't even the REAL Usagi, are you? Just some  
  
pathetic amalgam of her spirit, Serenity's spirit, a Youma body and  
  
perhaps a little bit of Metallia mixed in."  
  
"Yeah, and proud of it."  
  
"Don't be. We made a business out of thugging on Youmas.   
  
You're no different."  
  
"Oro..." Usashin watched as Jupiter, who had a ball of energy  
  
building up in her hand which she held behind her back, throw the  
  
ball at the Youma.  
  
It struck the Youma, dead centre. The sign frazzled as a hole  
  
was blown straight through her chest.. It then bounced off the   
  
nearest building and levelled a row of houses. Jupiter put a hand   
  
to her mouth. "Oops."  
  
The Youma looked down at the space where her chest used to be,  
  
somewhat annoyed that yet another set of clothing had bitten the   
  
dust. She wanted to make a verbal comeback, but was reminded of the  
  
fact that, to do that, one required lungs. And she was in short   
  
supply of those right at this moment.  
  
So she opted for the direct approach. Her eyes flashed, and  
  
a wave of energy flowed from her, blowing both Jupiter and Usashin  
  
back across the road. Jupiter managed to skittle to her feet, but  
  
Usashin was not so lucky. She hit her head against the wall of the  
  
opposing building and saw stars.  
  
Jupiter watched as the hole in the Youma's chest filled up and  
  
became flesh once more. the Youma laughed, shaking her head. "I'm  
  
sorry, Jupiter. I'm afraid normal, physical attacks won't work on  
  
me quite that way."  
  
"Normal physical attacks?" Jupiter bit her lower lip.  
  
"Yes. Venus tried it. Now she's dead. You just can't tell  
  
some people."  
  
"Venus? YOU KILLED MINAKO?" Jupiter clenched her fists.  
  
"Yeah, well... As I said, she just wouldn't listen to my   
  
directions. That was your problem, you know. You guys never   
  
bothered to listen to me. Oh, and, of course, there was Mars. But  
  
I never got around to killing her. That fool, Jadeite, wanted me to  
  
spare her for some reason. So I left her blinded. Not a good   
  
enough fate for the little bitch."  
  
Jupiter closed her eyes for a moment. Well, if the obvious  
  
manners of dealing with you won't work, how about this?  
  
The Youma suddenly felt pain rip through her body, and several  
  
points exploded into sprays of blood. She let out a cry of pain,  
  
surprised that she actually hurt! Falling to her knees, she saw the  
  
smile on Jupiter's face.  
  
"What... what did you do?"  
  
"Normal physical attacks don't hurt you, eh?" Jupiter   
  
chuckled. "So how about ones using telekinesis?"  
  
The Youma looked surprised. "You can do that? No fair! I  
  
didn't know!" She clutched her side, which had been ripped open by  
  
Jupiter's stealth TK attack.  
  
"Yeah, well... I guess the others let their emotions get the  
  
better of them. You gave me time to think." She smiled again, and  
  
the Youma saw the crystal on her tiara flash.  
  
The pain occured again, this time worse. Welts exploded over  
  
the trunk of her body, and she screamed in agony.... Jupiter then  
  
followed this up with an Oak Evolution.  
  
Bits and pieces of Youma scattered in every direction. Not to  
  
mention a large portion of the wall and garden behind it.  
  
----o  
  
Jadeite was now sitting up against the retaining wall, having  
  
his wounds tended to by Juno-Neptune. He stared at the green-haired  
  
senshi dubiously, still not believing who she said she was.   
  
Neptune-Uranus, meanwhile, was still remonstrating with Uranus-Juno.  
  
Mamoru held up the weakened Chibiusa, staring at Ceres as she  
  
told him what had happened to Jadeite.  
  
"The Youma... did THAT to him?" His eyes boggled. "But...  
  
That's... Kinda..." He shuddered. "How did this Youma happen to  
  
come to look like Usagi, anyway?"  
  
"She contains a portion of Usagi's soul, her spirit, so to  
  
speak."  
  
"So where is the original?"  
  
"I do not know. When Pluto brought her back to life, she   
  
should have returned to her body. For all intents and purposes,  
  
it would appear that she has been... taken somewhere, by someone."  
  
"And now even her body is missing..." Mamoru shook his head  
  
and looked down at Chibiusa. "We've got to do something. If we   
  
don't, then we run the risk of another time paradox with Chibiusa  
  
here." he looked back at Ceres, and noticed she was looking aside,  
  
her eyes closed, and mouthing as if counting down.  
  
He heard a scream. Usagi's scream. They all heard it, and   
  
the first thing they did was look at Mamoru, except for Ceres, who  
  
stared at him tiredly only after a few moments, and Misagi, who   
  
was too wasted to give a stuff by now.  
  
"That's her!" He looked at Chibiusa. "That's Usagi."   
  
Memories of her comatose body, having vanished from the loungeroom   
  
of Setsuna's apartment, flashed through his mind.  
  
"It isn't her." Ceres said, almost as if what was going to   
  
happen next was a fait accompli.  
  
"Yes, it is... Somebody is hurting her! I must save her!"  
  
"It isn't her, Tuxedo Kamen." Ceres leaned against the wall,  
  
shaking her head. Despite her admittedly pathetic attempts to tell  
  
him, a rose had appeared in his hand, and in seconds, he was Tuxedo  
  
Kamen. Everyone watched him as he leapt over the wall and   
  
disappeared behind a series of bushes. Chibiusa shouted after him.  
  
"Mamo-chan!" She managed to get to her feet, proper. More  
  
crackles of energy surrounded her, but somehow she kept to her feet.  
  
She leapt after Mamoru, her clothes flashing into the Eternal   
  
Sailormoon garb in seconds.  
  
"Impetuous sort, aren't they?" Pallas sniffed.  
  
"Tuxedo Kamen-sama! Small Lady!" Neptune-Uranus was about to   
  
go in chase, when she felt her body crackling with energy. In   
  
seconds, Uranus found she was now staring at Neptune. Neptune-Juno   
  
stared back.  
  
"Okay... NOW go after them. In your own body, no less."  
  
Uranus nodded and leapt the wall in pursuit.  
  
"What do you think, Pallas, Juno?" Ceres looked from one to   
  
the other. Pallas giggled.  
  
"Oh well, we're all dead anyway. Might as well hammer the   
  
last nail in the coffin."  
  
Neptune-Juno smiled simply, and the body glowed, along with  
  
that of Juno-Neptune. In seconds, the pair were in their rightful  
  
bodies. "Hey you, Usagithing... Look after this creep and his   
  
girlfriend, will you?" She said to Misagi, pointing at Jadeite and   
  
Mars.  
  
"You coming with us now, Neptune?" Pallas stared at the Outer  
  
Senshi, smiling.  
  
"Yes, she will." Ceres said simply, and leapt over the wall.  
  
Pallas shrugged and followed her, with Juno next. Neptune looked  
  
down at Jadeite and Mars.  
  
"Time to go, I suppose. Wish I knew where Hotaru and Setsuna  
  
had got to." She leapt the wall, leaving the three to sit and  
  
stare at each other, if you ignore the fact that Rei couldn't see  
  
anything anymore.  
  
Slowly Misagi got to her feet and stumbled over to Jadeite and  
  
Rei. "Guess we'll have to die on our own then, eh?" She pulled out  
  
another sixpack from a subspace pocket. "Anyone for a beer?"  
  
----o  
  
Jupiter stared around at where the Youma had stood. There  
  
was, literally, tons of rubble. An easy place to hide, if the  
  
freak was still alive. Not that she could see how it would survive,  
  
considering she had, literally, been blown into a billion fragments.  
  
She climbed up the pile of stones and peered down into the pit  
  
within. Nothing there. She expected as much. She looked up and  
  
around warily. If the Youma was alive, then she might be circling   
  
her right now, awaiting her opportunity.  
  
Makoto felt the sensation of her head being pushed forward by   
  
something, like someone had prodded her. There was no pain. She   
  
tried to turn, but found herself becoming disoriented. Eventually,   
  
she managed to look around. The Youma stood some ten feet from her,   
  
naked, bloodied and smiling, her hand held outwards. Slowly, she   
  
dragged her feet around, feeling nauseous. She felt sweat running   
  
down her back and shoulders as she stared at her enemy. Makoto   
  
wanted to charge her, but she found her legs refusing to move. Her   
  
right arm had gone numb as well.  
  
"U... Usa..." She fell to her knees, not understanding why  
  
she felt so weak and dizzy. The Youma screwed up her nose.  
  
"Oops... I did that a bit quickly. Don't die or anything on  
  
me just yet." Makoto couldn't understand what she was saying. She  
  
put her left hand to her shoulder, to wipe off the sweat. It felt  
  
warm and sticky. She lifted her hand away and stared at it. It  
  
wasn't sweat that was running down her back and shoulders.... The  
  
Youma had shot out a beam of energy... And hit her in the....  
  
The hand quivered as Makoto stared at it in horrified   
  
fascination, realising only then what it meant. She looked up at  
  
the Youma, who was sauntering forward slowly. She fell onto her  
  
front and tried to pull herself away with her one useful hand,  
  
dragging her almost dead-weight body across the stony ground. The  
  
Youma shook her head. Some people just didn't know when they were  
  
dead!  
  
----o  
  
They had reached the roof of the building, having successfully  
  
managed to fight off the hoarde of cadavers which tried to follow   
  
them up. Maisagi and Usagika were exhausted, their powers almost  
  
drained.  
  
Maisagi slammed the stairway door. "Sae, use your powers to  
  
seal this off!" She shouted. Sae nodded and handed Meimi the bulk  
  
of Minako's weight. Meimi dragged Minako across the ground and   
  
leant her up against the sidewall as Sae lifted up her wand.  
  
"Izadi aba mehinamu eto kafe nan!" Sae said, closing her   
  
eyes. The wand sparkled with energy, as did the door. In seconds,  
  
the door fused with its surrounds. Saw puffed, as she placed her  
  
wand back in a small sling which she used to carry her magical   
  
items.  
  
Maisagi backed away from the door. "That should hold them off  
  
for a while." She sighed, collapsing to the ground, Usagika and Sae  
  
doing the same.  
  
There was a cackling noise to their right, and they turned to  
  
see Vesta, floating above the roof of the building, blood running  
  
from her mouth.  
  
"Me said me get body... Get superior flesh... eeeheeheehee."  
  
They stood quickly and stared at her.  
  
"You... the Asteroid Senshi..."  
  
"Not so much Vesta anymore, now have superior flesh, me now  
  
have new powers. Me kill you and eat you." Vesta licked her lips.  
  
Minako watched, dazedly, realising almost instantly, to her  
  
horror, what had happened.  
  
The Resonator was now in control of Vesta.  
  
She wanted to shout a warning, but her energy reserves were  
  
too low. She wanted to stand and fight, knowing it might do the  
  
same to her, but she couldn't. All she could do was sit, and watch,  
  
and remember that young red-headed girl in the Silver Millenium.  
  
Lysithea Manos.  
  
She watched as Maisagi tried to launch a fire spell at her,   
  
but was blown back in an instant, hitting the opposing wall heavily.  
  
With Maisagi unconcious, the other three were almost defenseless.  
  
Sae held out her wand and tried to get off a spell, but was too  
  
slow. She found herself thrown against the stairhut, sprawling  
  
over the ground in a moaning heap. Meimi used the creature's attack  
  
as a distraction, a large hat appearing in her hand. From out of  
  
the hat appeared a mist that surrounded the Resonator-Vesta. It  
  
let out a cry of frustration as Usagika swirled her baton around,  
  
launching an Angel Aid Bomb Beam.  
  
The effects on the creature were not exactly what Usagika had  
  
envisioned. The beam struck the creature, paused, then exploded  
  
outwards in a blast of green flame. Both Usagika and Meimi were  
  
caught in the blast. Even before they had a chance to scream, their  
  
bodies were dust. The blast petered out before it reached Minako,  
  
but had managed to clear the air.  
  
The creature was untouched. It stared at Sae, then Maisagi,  
  
and finally Minako. Slowly, it touched down on the roof and began  
  
to walk towards her.  
  
Minako tried to back away, but all her energy reserves were  
  
gone. She just watched in horror as the sickeningly smiling face  
  
of what used to be Vesta came closer and closer.  
  
"Aha, foul miscreant. I see you must be punished in the name  
  
of justice! For I am UNAGI the SERPENT!" Minako looked aside and  
  
saw a floating figure of... yet ANOTHER Usagi. only this one looked  
  
a bit more like Maisagi's half-sister. Certainly, the bust size and  
  
taste in clothing matched.  
  
The Resonator-Vesta turned to her as the woman smiled smugly.  
  
"So, you show no fear in my presence, eh? You have not heard the  
  
name of Unagi?" The Resonator-Vesta hissed and looked as if it were  
  
about to pounce on Unagi, when the woman lifted her head back   
  
and....  
  
LAUGHED. The most horrible, frightening, terrifying laugh   
  
Minako had ever heard. She tried to block it out, but the laugh was  
  
just TOO much. She stared over at Sae, who also had her hands over  
  
her ears. Even Maisagi was being roused into horrified wakefulness  
  
by the sound. But that was nothing to what the Resonator was doing.  
  
It had its hands over its ears, and was letting out little   
  
gasps of pain as it staggered back towards Venus. It pressed back  
  
against her, trying to stop itself from falling over the side. Its  
  
head quivered, and it let out a wave of energy.  
  
The wave struck Unagi, who fell to the ground, stunned. How  
  
could anyone... Anything, defeat her laugh? She stared at it as it  
  
reared up for a fight.  
  
It was now or never, Minako thought. To save Vesta from   
  
becoming part of this creature for good. Its core, now entrapped  
  
within the hapless senshi's body, the girl's death would also mean   
  
its own. With every ounce of strength she could muster, Venus   
  
grabbed the Resonator, and tilted herself back over the side of the  
  
roof wall. She looked down at the pavement below, trying to ignore  
  
her sudden, newfound fear of heights.  
  
The Resonator gasped, surprised by the action. Sae and Unagi  
  
watched in horror as Venus pulled back further and further, fighting  
  
the Resonator's scrabbling attempts to hang on, until they reached  
  
the point of no return....  
  
And beyond.  
  
They both fell off the side of the building. Sae and Unagi   
  
got to their feet and ran to the wall, but were surprised to see,  
  
hanging only ten feet away in mid-air, the Resonator, with Minako  
  
holding on.  
  
Bummer, Minako thought, forgot it could fly.  
  
"Not for long..." Said a voice.  
  
"Who is that?" Minako looked around as the Resonator thrashed  
  
about, trying to slash at her....  
  
"Its me, Vesta, you moron!" Minako blinked.  
  
"But you're..."  
  
"Yeah yeah yeah, my body is in this ugly bastard's control.   
  
Now listen to me... As long as I am trapped within this body, we   
  
are going to fly like birds, right."  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
"So do as I say, okay?"  
  
Unagi and Sae watched as the Resonator bucked and kicked,   
  
trying to throw Venus off, as if it knew what was coming. Maisagi  
  
staggered over beside them, and the trio watched as the colour of  
  
both girl's senshi uniforms changed, Minako's turning a red and  
  
white, VesVes's a gold and white. For a few moments they continued  
  
to hang into the air.  
  
"Ow... You didn't say this body hurt so much." Vesta said,  
  
from Venus's mouth. Suddenly, the Resonator went still and turned  
  
to Venus-Vesta.  
  
"What did you think it felt like, stupid? So what happens   
  
now?"  
  
"We die." Venus-Vesta smiled. And she cut off her flight  
  
powers.  
  
The two bodies hung in the air for several moments, then   
  
plummeted to the ground.  
  
"In my next life, VesVes..." Vesta-Venus muttered. "I'm  
  
gonna kill you for this."  
  
"I'll be waiting." Venus-Vesta chuckled.  
  
And they hit the ground, their bodies shattering upon impact.  
  
Huge wads of concrete and stone rose around them as they died. And  
  
then all their senshi powers were released all at once, and the  
  
earth around them exploded in a vast ball of rising flame. Unagi,  
  
Maisagi and Sae stared in horror at the approaching blast.  
  
"Lets get outta here!" Maisagi croaked. Unagi floated into  
  
the air immediately, followed by Sae on her broomstick, which she  
  
had unhitched from her sling, with Maisagi riding pillion. They  
  
watched as the building below them crumbled, and were only JUST  
  
capable of riding over the blast.  
  
They felt the spiritual energy rushing past them. The deaths  
  
of two senshi....  
  
----o  
  
Shadows of the future....  
  
The Sherrif sweated as the young woman mumbled in the seat  
  
beside him, and he wondered why the Governor of the local district  
  
had opted to hire Black Saturn to rid them of the assassin and hired  
  
sword that had plagued their land for months.  
  
Like all in this world, he was terrified of the psychotic  
  
witch. The darkness of her reputation preceded her weherever she  
  
went. Black Saturn, killer of thousands. Black Saturn, dark   
  
goddess. Black Saturn, mumbling, dishevelled figure that was   
  
sitting next to him, right now. He found the dichotomy of the  
  
reputation and the reality almost impossible to reconcile.  
  
Still, he supposed the Governor knew what was best. After   
  
all, they weren't dealing with an ordinary figure here. No, this  
  
assassin was an Usagi.  
  
Hotaru had been hunting the assassin when she had picked up  
  
Usako. Having failed to catch the monster the last time, she had  
  
become determined to finish the job. Well, as determined as she  
  
could be, considering the state of her mind at the moment.  
  
She had to do something. Anything. Anything to forget having  
  
burnt the only bridge she had left in her life.  
  
The Sherrif brought the Land Rover to a stop as they entered  
  
the southern end of the long valley. Small scrubland ran along its  
  
length, disappearing as the valley turned slowly. Along the sides  
  
were small ridgetops of ruddy earth that would have contrasted   
  
heavily with the blue sky had the sky been blue. Hotaru stared out  
  
at the darkening clouds. Fitting for her mood.  
  
She turned as the Sherrif opened his door.  
  
"This is the place?" Her voice was flat and unemotional. He  
  
looked back at her, nervously.  
  
"This was where she was last reported to be going."  
  
Hotaru nodded and opened her door, undoing her seatbelt. She  
  
reached into the back seat and pulled out a large backpack and her  
  
glaive. She dragged them both from the car and stood on the edge of  
  
the dirt road as the Sherrif looked into the valley with his   
  
binoculars.  
  
"Can't see anything or anyone. Good place to hide, though. A  
  
LOT of scrub to disappear into, and its remote."  
  
"She's in there, as well as her hostages."  
  
The Sherrif turned to her. "Your powers tell you this?"  
  
"Yes." Hotaru nodded as she put on the backpack.  
  
"So... uhh... What are you going to do?"  
  
"I will go in there, and take as long as it takes to find her.  
  
If I fail, then I shall tell you so. If I succeed, I shall bring  
  
you her remains. Its that simple."  
  
He swallowed. "And if you don't return?"  
  
"Then I am either dead, or I've given up cos I couldn't give a  
  
stuff anymore. Any more silly questions?"  
  
He put up his hands, placatingly. "No.. No, she's apples."  
  
She nodded. "Well, I'll see you later then." She stepped off  
  
the road and disappeared behind some of the scrub. The Sherrif   
  
stepped back, shut the passenger door of the Land Rover and got back  
  
in the driver's side.  
  
Before he started up the vehicle, he noticed there was   
  
something sitting on the floor below the passenger seat, like a   
  
small white card. He reached down and picked it up.  
  
It was a photograph. A man with white hair, wearing a   
  
labcoat, stood in front of a young girl with dark hair, perhaps no   
  
more than ten or eleven tears old. He blinked a couple of times,  
  
and realised who it was.  
  
Well well well, even monsters like Black Saturn were once   
  
children. Not that he didn't expect it, of course, but it was just  
  
so different from his mental image, and the young woman he'd met,  
  
that he really began to wonder if he'd ever truly get to know who  
  
this Black Saturn was.  
  
A hand appeared in front of him, and he almost wet himself.  
  
The hand was outstretched through the window. He turned to see her  
  
standing there, her face unemotional.  
  
"Ehehe... Just picked it up off the floor..." She said  
  
nothing. "Is that your father?"  
  
"Yes." She said flatly, obviously not in the mood for light  
  
conversation. He sighed and handed her the photograph, which she  
  
whipped into the jacket she wore over her senshi uniform. She made  
  
to walk away, when he cleared his throat. She paused and looked  
  
at him.  
  
"Er, you know, you were kinda a cute kid when you were young."  
  
He sniffed. She cocked her head slightly, her expression unchanged.  
  
"We were all young once. Even then, the seeds of what we are  
  
to become have long started to grow." She blinked a couple of   
  
times. "If you're trying to put the girl in the photograph together  
  
with what you see before you, then please don't waste your   
  
sympathies. If people are going to regard me as something, I may as  
  
well live up to that reputation."  
  
With one last look, she returned to her job at hand. He shook  
  
his head and started the Land Rover.  
  
----o  
  
There was nobody to mourn the passing of the girl. She looked  
  
down at the body as she tossed it aside.  
  
After her futile efforts to escape, the Youma had grabbed   
  
Jupiter and dragged her into the nearby park, drowning the girl in  
  
the fountain bath. She really didn't know what else to do. In a  
  
strange kind of way, she felt like she had performed an act of   
  
mercy. She hadn't intended for Jupiter to be so easily felled....  
  
More an accident, really. But she had been REALLY pissed off after  
  
what the senshi had done to her.  
  
She didn't know it was possible for her to have survived that  
  
kind of evisceration.... Almost total physical dissolution.... And  
  
yet, all those fragments somehow melded and reformed. She wasn't  
  
concious through the event. She wasn't ANYTHING through the event.  
  
And all aspects of her personality were a tad concerned about that.  
  
She'd cleaned herself off in the fountain, since it was as   
  
good a place as any. She wrapped a towel around herself and used  
  
her powers to change it into another item of clothing. She was  
  
getting pretty tired of losing her clothes in this manner.   
  
Rearranging the pattern and fabric of a towel so it looked like  
  
a dress seemed a terrible waste of her powers, but what could one  
  
do?  
  
After making sure the new dress looked good on her by posing  
  
in front of the still waters of the fountain bath, she then pondered  
  
what she should do with the body of the senshi.  
  
She really did feel sorry for her now. Makoto looked pathetic  
  
lying beside the fountain, her head and shoulders wet, slicked back  
  
with a mixture of water and blood. Although the girl had stopped  
  
bleeding pretty quickly. That worried her somewhat.  
  
A wound to the head, like that one, should have bled freely.  
  
And it did, at first.... But after she had grabbed Makoto, the  
  
wound seemed to just... fade to a trickle.  
  
She shook her head. She was starting to get paranoid. Like  
  
the way Makoto's sightless eyes were staring at her now. Sharp,  
  
lively, yet without the soul behind them. They were windows to an  
  
empty room.  
  
The Youma reached down and, with inhuman strength, picked up  
  
Makoto's body, flinging her over the shoulder. For a moment, she  
  
thought she felt muscles in Makoto's midsection twitch. She heaved  
  
the body a couple of times, trying to get a balance, and she started  
  
on her way back to where she had left Usashin.  
  
Much to her surprise and consternation, Usashin was nowhere to  
  
be seen. The Youma huffed and looked around. Surely the samurai  
  
Usagi couldn't have gone too far. She may be out there now,   
  
watching her.  
  
Well, so what? She thought. Its not that Usashin had any powers   
  
that could harm her. Usashin... It was amazing how she knew  
  
so much about these clones of herself. But then, their   
  
personalities were nothing more than a fragment of her own. Usashin  
  
represented an aspect the Youma felt it had hidden within itself, a  
  
sense of nobility and reliability. Well, she was noble and   
  
reliable, just not in the way anyone else wanted her to be. She   
  
giggled inanely at that thought.  
  
"Mako-chan!" She spun when she heard the voice. Two figures  
  
appeared before her.... Tuxedo Kamen and yet another version of  
  
herself. She facefaulted... Just how many of her were there now?  
  
Tuxedo Kamen didn't seem too pleased that she was holding a dead  
  
Makoto. Well, he would be, wouldn't he?  
  
"Wha... What have you done to Jupiter?" He strode forward,  
  
angrily. In the blink of an eye, he whipped a cane from under his  
  
coat. The cane seemed to crackle with energy. "Perhaps I should  
  
have listened to CereCere... You aren't the original Usagi, are  
  
you?"  
  
The Youma sighed. "What gave you that impression? Of course  
  
I'm the original Tsukino Usagi. Its bitches like the one you're  
  
standing next to that are the copies."  
  
"Don't talk to Chibiusa that way, you Youma monster."  
  
"That's Chibiusa?" The Youma laughed, casually dropping  
  
Makoto's body to the ground. Mamoru winced as the body thudded onto  
  
the tarmac. "Oh, that's just rich. No sooner have you guys offed  
  
me than you go and stick Chibiusa in a body that looks like me.   
  
Talk about Oedipus Rex. You two done it yet?"  
  
"You FREAK! How could you even think that?" Mamoru was about  
  
to take to the Youma with his cane, when Chibiusa restrained him.  
  
"She's just trying to bait you."  
  
He looked back at her. "And what did she mean by 'us guys   
  
offing her'? I mean, what does she mean by that?"  
  
Chibiusa let go and looked down, lost for words. The Youma  
  
cackled. "What, you don't know? Of all people, Mamo-chan, you  
  
should KNOW what happened to me."  
  
"He does not know." The new voice came from behind the Youma,  
  
and she spun, looking up at the roof of the nearest standing house.  
  
Usashin stood there, large looking, sore lump on her head. Somehow,  
  
she was ignoring the pain and affecting her best dramatic pose,   
  
sword unsheathed.  
  
"Aha, we meet again." The Youma smiled and bowed.  
  
"Indeed. It is a shame you are as great a monster as I have  
  
heard. Your treatment of Jupiter was the act of a pure barbarian."  
  
"Oh ptew!" The Youma waved a hand at Usashin. "You know what  
  
she did to me? Killed me, that's what."  
  
"Was she the one who fired the killer blow?" Usashin's eyes  
  
narrowed. "Did she actually do anything to harm you before you  
  
attacked us today? No."  
  
"She lead me to my death. One of three to do so. And the  
  
other two, those bitches Ami and Naru."  
  
"Can you feel their life signals?"  
  
The Youma blinked, not comprehending. Then she closed her   
  
eyes a moment, reaching out her sensory powers. She opened them  
  
again, somewhat angrily. "They are gone. Or, at least, not on this  
  
world."  
  
"And Jupiter and Venus? Can you feel them as well?"  
  
'What are you getting at? Of course I can't feel... eehh.."  
  
She began to feel a tingling sensation running through her, and it  
  
was starting at her feet. Slowly, she looked down. Makoto's body  
  
was still where she left it, but the sensation wouldn't go away.  
  
"Yes.... Did you really think it would be that easy to kill  
  
the likes of Sailorjupiter? You take on the senshi that represents  
  
this system's largest planet and think you can wipe her out in a few  
  
vicious movements."  
  
The Youma looked up at Usashin, then back down at Makoto, who  
  
still wasn't moving. The sensation was getting stronger by the   
  
moment. And she remembered the way Makoto's muscles had spasmed,  
  
the way her eyes stared at her.. She thought she was dead... And  
  
yet... And yet...  
  
"Wait! Tuxedo Kamen-sama! Don't..." Usashin threw her arm  
  
forward, but it was too late. Mamoru had slipped up behind the   
  
Youma and thrust the end of his cane into her back. The cane   
  
skewered her, pushing all the way through. She let out a cry as  
  
energy crackled from her midsection, and something popped out,   
  
skittering across the ground. Something shining... Shining so  
  
brightly that all had to cover their eyes.  
  
The Youma grabbed the end of the cane and pulled it through  
  
her, tearing it from Mamoru's hands. She let out a sickening cry  
  
and threw it onto the ground. Then she staggered forward and groped  
  
in the brilliant glow for the object that had been pushed from her.  
  
None of the trio tried to stop her. Eventually she grasped the  
  
object. She let out a short cry of pain as it almost burnt its way  
  
into her hand, but somehow she held onto it, closing both hands over  
  
so the gleam would subside.  
  
Mamoru and Chibiusa looked at her, stunned.  
  
"The Ginzuishou..." Mamoru stammered. "That... that was   
  
inside you, all this time..."  
  
"Its MINE. It belongs to ME! You won't get it back! I'm the  
  
Princess! You will obey ME! You will DIE for ME!" She sneered  
  
contemptuously.  
  
"So, the Ginzuishou is the true source of your power. Add the  
  
powers of Metallia to the equation, and we get a hybrid beast that   
  
has neither the right nor the mind to rule!" Usashin's words seemed  
  
to cut into the Youma, for she flinched like she had been stung.  
  
"Stop that, you!"  
  
"My words will pierce your heart.... your soul. You cannot   
  
escape their truth. For the truth destroys lies, and you are a  
  
being constructed of lies." The Youma flinched again. With a growl  
  
she thrust the Ginzuishou into her chest, pushing through flesh  
  
until the crystal's shine could be seen no more. She then retrieved  
  
her bloody hand, licking it with angry lasciviousness.  
  
"Now, you suffer."  
  
"I feel no fear of a being that lives merely to feed of that  
  
emotion. You shall not find your feast of me an appetising meal."  
  
The Youma flinched again, stepping back from the stinging  
  
statement. To Mamoru and Chibiusa, it brought new meaning to the  
  
old sticks and stones line.  
  
The Youma lifted a hand, and the tiles on the roof where  
  
Usashin was standing began to rattle. Usashin smiled as tiles  
  
around her began to fly off in every direction. Yet, somehow  
  
they managed to avoid her. This annoyed the Youma.  
  
"Your petty party tricks won't put me off, clone!" She  
  
barked.  
  
Usashin laughed loudly.  
  
"We shall see, you deluded fool. And I can say the same thing  
  
about you. Party tricks indeed!" In a flash, Usashin had leapt   
  
from the degenerating roof, whipping her sword into the air. Beams  
  
of energy crackled from the sword as Usashin let out a cry. The   
  
Youma watched in fascination as the sword arced towards her. She  
  
tried to back away, but a beam of energy emanated from the sword and  
  
literally cut her into two.  
  
Her two halves split and fell to the ground. In a flash of  
  
light, the Ginzuishou was visible again, now floating in the air  
  
above Mamoru and Usashin.  
  
"Tuxedo Kamen-sama, grab the crystal!" Usashin watched as the  
  
two halves of the Youma began to make gurgling noises.. Flesh and  
  
internals coagulating and slowly reforming, starting at the feet.  
  
Mamoru stared into the light and reached forward. He felt the  
  
crystal, in his hand, and pulled it back. "Now what do I do?" He  
  
looked up at Usashin as he placed the crystal in his coat.  
  
"You run... Really fast." Usashin smiled as she positioned  
  
herself with her sword, ready for the Youma to finish her healing.  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"Don't worry about me. I have a distraction on the way." She  
  
smiled so sweetly, Mamoru almost fell in love with her on the spot.  
  
In the distance, he could hear a stomping sound, getting   
  
closer and closer all the time. With this was the accompanying  
  
ranting of what sounded like a manic Usagi. He decided running  
  
was a good idea at this point in time, and turned, grabbing   
  
Chibiusa.  
  
The two halves of the Youma sealed like it had been done up  
  
with a zipper. She slowly turned to Mamoru and Chibiusa, who had  
  
paused in their short flight to look back with fascinated horror.  
  
The Youma failed to notice the approaching noise, or the fact  
  
that Usashin was slowly putting some room between it and herself.  
  
"BWAHAHAHAHAHA! ENTER THE GREAT HERO, DAIGOUJI USAGAI! LETS  
  
GO, GEKIGANGER THREE!" The Youma spun just in time to see a giant  
  
humanoid mecha frame leaping through the air at her.  
  
"GAAAAAHHHH!" She screamed, just before the mecha crushed her  
  
under its foot. The pilot of the mecha cackled mercilessly as   
  
Mamoru and Chibiusa stared, boggle-eyed at the newcomer.  
  
"Ehehe... Gotta love that Aestivalis." Usashin resheathed  
  
her sword. The mecha swung on her.  
  
"It isn't an Aestivalis... Its my GEKIGANGER. The product  
  
of 39 episodes of action-packed entertainment! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! And  
  
now, for an encore, may I present my grand finishing attack." The  
  
mecha started to perform dramatic moves. Usashin's hair stood on  
  
end and she backed away, and both Mamoru and Chibiusa scarpered.  
  
"GAI SUPER NAPALM!" The mecha began to pummel the helpless,  
  
flattened Youma with a multitude of attacks, then leapt high into  
  
the air.  
  
"GEKIGAN FLARE!" The pilot shouted, and let off a volley of  
  
energy beams from the mecha's guns. If it were not for the fact   
  
that the pilot was such a good shot, Jupiter's still form would have  
  
been fried.  
  
When the mecha landed on the ground, the Youma's body was   
  
buried under close to one hundred feet of soil. From the pilot came  
  
the cackling laugh of victory. "See, Sailor Jupiter! This is the  
  
mark of a true hero. Your death was but a meek one. When I die, I  
  
shall go out fighting. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"  
  
"Owie... Do you have to use your tannoys that loudly?" Said  
  
Jupiter as she sat up. "Oooh, my head. Feels like I've gone on a  
  
drinking binge with a truckload of bourbon."  
  
The mecha leapt at least a hundred feet back. "Sailorjupiter,  
  
you are alive!"  
  
"Of course she is alive, stupid." Usashin came from out of  
  
her hiding place. "She is Sailorjupiter. It takes more than  
  
massive cerebral damage to finish her."  
  
"Are you saying I'm decerebrate?" Makoto stood, staggering  
  
a little woozily, staring dubiously at Usashin.  
  
"No. I'm saying, of all the Senshi, you have the strongest  
  
constitution. The only way you're going to die is if your entire  
  
body is obliterated. Either that or you get your Heart Crystal and   
  
Star Seed removed."  
  
Makoto scratched her head. "Yeah, whatever." She turned to  
  
the mecha. "Oi you! Do you have to shout your attacks so loudly?"  
  
"What do you mean? Of COURSE I have to shout them. All true  
  
warriors shout out the names of their attacks. Its a proud   
  
tradition that goes back to the dawning of time. Its the sign of a  
  
warrior's spirit!" The front of the mecha opened with a mechanical  
  
whir, and a figure emerged from within. An Usagi with medium-length  
  
dark hair and slightly tanned skin, dressed in a uniform that looked  
  
like something out of a cosplay convention. "I should know. I have  
  
a complete collection of Gundam, Macross, Southern Cross, Mospeada,   
  
Votoms, Orguss, Tetsujin 28 and even Escaflowne and Evangelion on  
  
LD, VCD, DVD, VHS and SVHS. I even have a signed letter from Anno  
  
Hideaki, stating he made up Evangelion as it went along. Talk about  
  
a legend."  
  
Makoto and Usashin facefaulted.  
  
"Great. An Usagi Otaku. That's all we need." Makoto turned  
  
to where Mamoru and Usagi had been standing, and noticed they   
  
weren't anymore. "Was that the Ginzuishou? I mean, for real?"  
  
"Oh yes. That was the REAL Ginzuishou, alright."  
  
"What was it doing inside the Youma's body?"  
  
"Hmm... I guess you could describe it as a technical   
  
accident. When I witnessed the initial demise of Tsukino Usagi, I  
  
saw not one but two spirits flying from her body."  
  
"Two spirits?"  
  
"Think about it, Sailorjupiter. Where was Usagi struck by  
  
that energy beam?"  
  
"In the chest."  
  
"And what would she wear over her chest?"  
  
"A locket..."  
  
"Containing...?"  
  
"The... Ginzuishou...." Makoto's mouth opened wide. "But  
  
then, the beam would have struck the Ginzuishou first..."  
  
"And the Ginzuishou would have absorbed the energy."  
  
"But the energy would have been too great...."  
  
"And so the Ginzuishou explodes into a billion fragments.  
  
Dust, so to speak."  
  
"And the explosion blows through Usagi's chest..."  
  
"Particles of the Ginzuishou, filled with immense spiritual  
  
energies, passing through the housing of a spirit."  
  
"It would have... taken some of that spirit with it...."  
  
"And that spiritual energy would have managed to recreate,  
  
from the immense powers of the reborn spirit of Princess Serenity,  
  
an entirely new spirit with her thoughts and memories, given body  
  
by the particles of the Ginzuishou...."  
  
"And voila, you get two Usagis." Makoto looked at Usashin.  
  
"So where is the original Usagi now? Wouldn't bringing her body  
  
back to life have meant dragging back her original soul?"  
  
"Not if she didn't want to come back, or somehow couldn't  
  
come back. I get the feeling the case here is more the latter than  
  
the former."  
  
Makoto rubbed her chin, then winced. "Ooh, I really need a  
  
good lie down. My head is splitting."  
  
"Considering your head came this close to actually doing just  
  
that, I would be careful with usage of terminology."  
  
"Umm, has anyone forgotten about me?" From the ground emerged  
  
a grimy looking Youma Usagi. Instantly, Usagai returned to the   
  
safety of her mecha, whilst both Makoto and Usashin assumed fighting  
  
stances. The Youma, however, wasn't looking so good.  
  
"Was that true? What you said?"  
  
"I only recount what it is I saw. I do not lie." Usashin   
  
gripped the handle of her sword as Makoto built up an energy bolt  
  
between her hands.  
  
"Uhh, can I ask a question?" The Youma looked pleadingly at  
  
Usashin. "Which of those two spirits was I? The original spirit,  
  
or the constructed one?"  
  
"Why would you need to know that? Does having a constructed  
  
soul make its existence worth any less."  
  
The Youma pulled herself from the ground and stood, staggering  
  
slightly. She attempted to feel angry, but for some reason her  
  
emotions seemed to sap away.  
  
"Dammit, give me back that crystal! I want it!"  
  
"Really?" Makoto smiled. She turned to Usashin, then Usagai.  
  
"People, on the count of three." She looked back at the Youma.   
  
"One! Two! Three! SCATTER!" And they did. In three different  
  
directions all at once. The Youma didn't know which way to look  
  
next.  
  
She clutched her chest. Already a cold sensation was running  
  
through her. She needed the Ginzuishou back, and she needed it  
  
quickly. Before... Before her Serenity side lost the battle....  
  
Her right hand began to quiver, crooking into claws....  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
and again  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
END OF PART 17  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Notes  
  
Not much to say about this chapter, except to say I wrote it under  
  
the effects of extreme sleep deprivation.... ^_^;;  
  
Next up is chapter 18, and that means its time for "Visceral Demands"!  
  
DDFA darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
20th Feb 1998 


	18. Part 18: Visceral Demands

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 18  
  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so  
  
these characters really belong to them, except ones I made up. You  
  
know who they are! They're the ones that run around doing bad   
  
things to the original cast. ^_^ Well, most of them, anyway.  
  
Part Eighteen  
  
Visceral Demands  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
There is nowhere like the present.  
  
In a future that is in the creating.  
  
The present, where Tomoe Souichi finds a letter from his 24  
  
year old daughter, Hotaru, telling him she is leaving, and will   
  
never, again, return.  
  
Her empty bedroom.  
  
Usako's lack of surprise.  
  
The tears of a father.  
  
Hotaru lay upon the tuft of grass, staring at the clouds in   
  
the sky, and a few in her mind. She'd sheltered for several hours   
  
as the rain blew over. Now the clouds were patchy. There WAS blue   
  
sky. There WAS sunlight. And she hated it.  
  
The assassin was still in the valley with her hostages. They  
  
weren't going to leave anythime soon. She knew that now. The   
  
assassin could feel her presence and gave not a sense of fear.   
  
Hotaru smiled. She wished she could read the assassin's mind...  
  
Discover the identity of the person, what motivated her to do what  
  
she did... But the assassin was a master of self-control, and that  
  
included her thoughts.  
  
she could feel the thoughts of her hostages, although weakly.  
  
They made no sense... Like minds during sleep. No logical   
  
procession of thought.  
  
She even thought she could feel the presence of other minds.  
  
But there were a lot of living creatures within the valley, and they  
  
all gave off thought patterns....  
  
What motivated Hotaru to do what she did? Yes, she thought to  
  
herself, what motivates Hotaru? Damned if I know, I just go along  
  
for the ride, as unpleasant as it has been.  
  
Everything she'd done over the past couple of years only   
  
seemed to hurt her more and more. Saturn was becoming very annoyed  
  
with Hotaru. Saturn didn't like Hotaru very much. Nor did Hotaru  
  
seem to like Saturn a great deal.  
  
"Why did you write THAT kind of letter, you fool." Saturn   
  
stared back at Hotaru. The little girl sneered.  
  
"I had to bring a few home truths to his attention. He has  
  
always been a passive acceptor of things. I wanted him to be more  
  
than that, but he chose to be the distant one."  
  
"Were you ever anything other than distant?"  
  
"I guess I must have seemed that way to people."  
  
"Its because that is the way you are."  
  
"So what? Its the way I am. I like to be that way. It   
  
protects me from being harmed by them."  
  
"You've got to stop this perception of yourself as a human   
  
soft-centre. Even if people lash out at you, they're only doing it  
  
as a defensive action, themselves."  
  
"No!"  
  
"They are!"  
  
"Stop it. Stop saying things like that. You know people only  
  
treat you in that manner to hurt others. You've seen it. Those   
  
times... When I was beaten... When I was tortured. When I was..."  
  
Hotaru turned on her side and closed her eyes.  
  
"Or perhaps you abandoned me back then. That's why I was too  
  
weak to fight back. Abandoned by even the senshi I had become."  
  
"I never abandoned you. The only one who abandoned you was  
  
yourself. And you continue to abandon yourself to this very day."  
  
"Leave me alone."  
  
"I can't. We're stuck together in the same mind."  
  
"A mind in a vast, empty ocean. Travel it far and never   
  
return." Hotaru sat up, annoyed. She stared around the small field  
  
of grass and wondered what she was doing here.  
  
"Bloody hell, I'm talking to myself again..." She stood and  
  
started to pace around. "Talking to yourself is one of the signs of  
  
madness, isn't it?"  
  
"No..." Said the little flower on the ground. "Having   
  
flowers like me talk to you is a sign of madness."  
  
"Easy for you to say. I know someone who once talked to   
  
flowers, and she wasn't insane. Well, not most of the time anyway."  
  
"Yes, but what happened to her?"  
  
"She died. Several times, in fact."  
  
"Well, it would seem that she has something of a problem with  
  
life, doesn't it?"  
  
"I'll tell you who has a problem with life. Try looking at   
  
me. I'm a classic case. Sick as a kid, possessed, killed once or  
  
twice, made to live through childhood twice, forced to grow,   
  
manipulated, beaten, tortured, imprisoned, r..." She began to bang  
  
her head with her hand.  
  
"Bloody hell, now I'm explaining my life to a daisy." She   
  
shook her head and sat down, reaching over to her backpack. She  
  
pulled out a small box packet and opened the top.  
  
She sniffed the aroma of the black cigarettes. The fragrance  
  
was incredible. These things had been a vice for a couple of years  
  
now, and the best thing was no matter how many she smoked, she   
  
wasn't going to cack up her lungs. She'd have liked to stick that  
  
one up the proverbials of the anti-smoking lobby. Hooray for being  
  
a sailorsenshi!  
  
She took one out, closed the lid on the packet, put that   
  
aside, took out a lighter as she tapped the end of the cigarette,  
  
put it in her mouth and lit it.  
  
She slowly drew on the stick and tasted its fragrance.   
  
Russian black cigarettes... Foul beasts under the most ordinary of  
  
circumstances. A dime a dozen through black-marketeers. She   
  
chuckled after blowing out the smoke, feeling more contented now.  
  
If she'd been really smart, she'd have brought along a couple of  
  
bottles of spirits. But as it was, she'd have to go cold turkey on  
  
the alcohol today.  
  
Well, at least it would make her REAL mad when she came face   
  
to face with the assassin, of that she was sure. She felt sorrier  
  
and sorrier for the poor bastard with each passing moment.  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
and again  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
the depth of the shadow  
  
Night was approaching, and Hotaru had decided to find   
  
somewhere to sleep. At first, she wondered whether it would be a  
  
nice idea to sleep under the stars. But the weather was too  
  
changeable for that. So it was back underneath the ledge she had   
  
sheltered, regardless of whether she liked the idea or not.  
  
The assassin was still around. Somewhere. Hadn't moved all.  
  
Day, but it was hard to tell, what with the assassin blocking her  
  
thoughts. The assassin did feel a sense of fear, but not for   
  
herself. It was for her hostages.  
  
Strange, thought Hotaru.... That someone with as bloody a  
  
reputation as this nameless assassin should have such a concern for  
  
those she held against their will.  
  
Of course, against HER, of all people, hostages were nothing.  
  
Even if she killed the hostages, accidentally or otherwise, that  
  
would just be another cross to bear. There were so many on her back  
  
now she didn't seem to bother how many more were dumped on board.  
  
She lay within her sleeping bag underneath the ledge and  
  
looked out into the darkness. As a child, she used to be afraid of  
  
the dark. The bogeymen that would roam that ebon mist, just out of  
  
her view, always threatening to jump in and grab her. Take her away  
  
forever and she would never be seen again, she would die and   
  
everyone would be sad.  
  
She never realised there were REAL bogeymen out there. And  
  
that she would be one of those bogeymen herself. She could not have  
  
even begun to imagine the possibility, that she would become one of  
  
those monsters, waiting in the darkness the grab some innocent child  
  
who would lie awake at night, frightened of that very possibility.  
  
A child that would always look under its bed to make sure there was  
  
no nasty monster sitting underneath, waiting to crawl out when they  
  
were fast asleep. A child that would check the wardrobe for the   
  
same reason. Close the curtain, in case any nasty monsters would  
  
see them sleeping in passing, and try to get them through the   
  
window. Lock the bedroom door, in case anything tried to break in.  
  
In fact, more than simply lock that door... Barricade it so if  
  
anything did try to get in, it would make lots of noise and she  
  
would wake up in time to see it....  
  
So many fears and phobias as a child, thought Hotaru as her  
  
eyelids became heavy. It was hard to stay awake in the darkness  
  
for very long. The lack of stimuli would force the brain to shut  
  
things down until a time there was something to see.  
  
It had been that way, for so long, during her many lifetimes.  
  
Once she had become the Senshi of Saturn in the Moon Kingdom, she  
  
was placed into stasis, to sleep for hundreds of years until the  
  
time had come for her to be used. Which would only be once. The  
  
spoilsport senshi.  
  
She grumbled slightly. It seemed a purposeless existence.  
  
To just sit there and sleep until the time came when you wiped  
  
everyone out, including yourself. That was to be her duty in this  
  
life, as well. It never came to pass. A cataclysm had occured  
  
without the necessity of her needing to use her powers. So she   
  
thought. It made her feel monumentally impotent.  
  
She turned, hoping that looking into the rockface of the ledge  
  
would help her sleep. The soft, hollow echoes of nightbirds,   
  
hunting their prey in the darkness made her singularly nervous and  
  
comforted. There was, at least, life here. She welcomed its   
  
undemanding presence. Life in this form needed no input from her.  
  
It lived as it wanted to live and ignored her. She liked that.  
  
Yet those cries, like the sounds of spirits. Spirits that  
  
haunted wherever she went. The spirits of those she had killed.  
  
If there was any one person in the history of the human race who had  
  
the blood of more people on her hands in a literal rather than   
  
figurative sense, she would have liked to meet them.  
  
She rested both her hands against her face and began to curl  
  
up, tighter now within the sleeping bag. She was the senshi of   
  
death. Of course she would have to face death more than any other  
  
person.... Even with the long life she would have to endure, she  
  
would face an inordinate amount of it.  
  
She'd have to face her father's death.  
  
But then, she had chosen not to see him grow old, and die.  
  
Couldn't watch that. Couldn't deal with that.  
  
Hey eyes became sore and she knew she was crying. Stupid  
  
tears, yet again. Only obscure your vision and give you a headache.  
  
Now she was even making little noises in her throat.  
  
She opened her eyes and stared at the rock, trying to halt the  
  
flood of emotion. Damn my pathetic nature, she thought to herself.  
  
It was about that point that she realised she could actually see the  
  
rock, which should not have even been vaguely possible.  
  
She turned slowly. The source of light, whatever it was, was  
  
awfully close. Damn close! She saw through the corner of her eye  
  
an image. A figure. A glowing figure.  
  
It stood no more than seven feet from her, staring at her with  
  
dark eyes. She couldn't make out any distinctive features, just  
  
those dark pits that watched her.  
  
It was a woman's figure, about the same size as her. She had  
  
long hair, but that was all she could tell. The woman glowed an  
  
intense white, perhaps tinged with blue.  
  
Suffice to say, Hotaru almost wet herself.  
  
"Hello, Hotaru." The woman said to her.  
  
"Who the f..." Hotaru struggled for words.  
  
"Who and what am I? Well, I suppose you could ask that   
  
question. So sorry for creeping up on you like this."  
  
The woman slowly descended to the ledge and sat down on a   
  
rock. The glow slowly started to fade, and eventually she became  
  
nothing more than a dim silhouette in the darkness. Hotaru rapidly  
  
reached for her backpack and dragged it to her. Reaching in, she  
  
grabbed her torch and switched it on, shining it in the woman's   
  
face.  
  
The woman squinted, putting a hand over her eyes, but Hotaru   
  
could see the dark hair... Black hair... Pale skin.  
  
"Oi, you, not in my face."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I'm you, you fool."  
  
"Oh, yeah, right." If Hotaru had trouble with words before,   
  
it was nothing compared to the state of catatonia she felt right   
  
now.  
  
"No, really. I mean it." The woman lowered her hand, and   
  
Hotaru could see her face. Or, at the very least, was staring into  
  
her own face.  
  
First talking flowers, and now this, thought Hotaru. I've got  
  
to find out what they put in those cigarettes. She dropped the   
  
torch, and her likeness giggled.  
  
"I haven't changed much. At least, not intrinsically."  
  
Hotaru picked it up and set it up so it could work as a lamp.   
  
She studied her likeness with fascination, as did she.  
  
"I guess I owe you something of an explanation." The likeness  
  
smiled. Hotaru nodded.  
  
"You bet you do."  
  
"Ah, well, where should I start... Umm..." She looked like  
  
she was thinking. "Umm... Officially you can call me by the name  
  
we used during my time. I'm Erebus Todhunter." She smiled again.  
  
"Nice name, isn't it? Conjures up all kinds of visions."  
  
"Umm... Yeah..." Whoa.... They named them well in those   
  
days. Hotaru was tempted to perform a Death Reborn Revolution on  
  
that cigarette packet now.  
  
"And your name... Tomoe Hotaru... That's something like 'he  
  
firefly of the Earth', isn't it?"  
  
"Uh... That might be one interpretation. I've never really  
  
thought about it that much." Woah, yeah. Hotaru nodded cynically.  
  
"Yes, well... I must say, our destinies and lives have been  
  
remarkably different. All those things you had to put up with."   
  
She shook her head and clicked her tongue, which seemed to Hotaru to  
  
be the most unsympathetic sound she'd ever heard.  
  
"Well, excuse me. I'm sorry what I've become isn't up to   
  
your.... my standards." Hotaru scratched her head. "Kami, I've  
  
only just stopped talking to myself only to start again." She   
  
turned away and lay down, pulling her sleeping bag high over her  
  
head. "I must be dreaming. Soon, I'll wake up and you won't be  
  
there."  
  
She knew this wasn't going to be the case when she sensed the  
  
woman's close presence, leaning over her, her warm breath on   
  
Hotaru's neck.  
  
"I'm afraid I'm not a dream, little one. I am destiny made  
  
flesh, and you can't escape your responsibilities that easily."  
  
Hotaru looked back up at her. "What responsibilities?"  
  
"To Neo Queen Serenity, and your destiny as the future leader  
  
of the Sailorsenshi."  
  
"Future leader...?" Hotaru spluttered. "Neo Queen... Oh,   
  
give me a break! That's all over, in this lifetime, anyway. There  
  
ain't gonna be another Queen Serenity for at least a hundred years.  
  
Maybe even a thousand. Or, perhaps, ten-thousand..."  
  
"How do you know this? Who did you ask? Did anyone tell you  
  
this to be the truth?" Erebus smiled. "I'm telling you, as your  
  
past life..... Get a life!"  
  
Hotaru snorted. "I have one. I have one now. I need no more   
  
than that."  
  
"You don't honestly believe that?"  
  
"I've given up everything that I was. That is the end of the  
  
story. I'm not going to play the destiny game, anymore."  
  
"That's funny. I thought, by trying to live up to your   
  
reputation, as Black Saturn, you were giving in to one form of   
  
destiny."  
  
"Shit. I am not going to play mind games with anyone, okay?  
  
Even if it is myself. I've had enough of that. So just sod off!"  
  
Erebus sat back, genuinely surprised. "My... We have been  
  
drinking in the bitters lately, haven't we?"  
  
"You betcha. Now go away. I want to get some sleep. I have  
  
a killer to catch."  
  
"You could have done that today. But you didn't. You sat   
  
back and let yourself stew." She shook her head. "You can't live  
  
alone, Hotaru. Neither of us are allowed that pleasure, because our  
  
states of mind go into tailspins when we do." Erebus looked   
  
distant. "I was alone.... For close to a seven hundred years,   
  
sealed away in a crystal for a rainy day." She chuckled.  
  
"Because we are the most dangerous of the senshi." Hotaru  
  
said simply. "We represent the opposite end of the spectrum to that  
  
which the Queen represents."  
  
"We are death." Erebus chuckled. "I used to hate my parents,  
  
for giving me the name, Erebus. Even then, before it became known  
  
as a variant of evil, for darkness, it had a sinister ring to it."  
  
"Lucky you." Hotaru said, snidely. "What has this got to do  
  
with your visiting me now?"  
  
"Hmm... Maybe trying to impose upon you the dangers of   
  
allowing yourself to roam free, devoid of responsibility. If you  
  
thought that what you've done, thus far, has been worthy of a  
  
genocidal maniac, that's nothing to what you might become if you  
  
continue along your current path."  
  
"Easy for you to say. I can't go back now."  
  
"You must."  
  
"I won't! I'm not going to admit I'm wrong. I'm not going to  
  
say sorry to him. Or to Usako, and all the others I've hurt. I'm  
  
not!"  
  
"Just because you don't wish to damage your pathetic pride."  
  
"What pride? I have no pride. I have nothing left." Hotaru  
  
sat up and banged her fists against the rock. "I will not say sorry  
  
to him... For leaving him that note. I will NOT! I won't even see  
  
him if he comes looking for ME! I don't want to be around them  
  
anymore." Hotaru was starting to break out in tears, sobs   
  
punctuating her words. "I'm not gonna... I'm not! They can all  
  
fuck themselves, as far as I'm concerned. And you know what? Once  
  
I'm finished here, I'm gonna top myself. Don't think I won't do   
  
it."  
  
She panted heavily, spit flying from her mouth as she   
  
continued to get worked up. Erebus remained silent and impassive  
  
throughout this.  
  
"Have you finished your little tantrum, yet?"  
  
Hotaru laughed helplessly. "You just don't get it, do you?"  
  
"Remember, Hotaru... I am you. I know what you're thinking  
  
and how you think. If you believe that threatening me with your  
  
suicide is going to impress me, then you are sorely mistaken." She  
  
shook her head. "And you will also come to regret it when the time  
  
comes for your next birth."  
  
"I don't believe you. I don't WANT to be born again. I   
  
refuse to be born again. I'm not gonna..."  
  
"You don't have any choice, Hotaru."  
  
"Bullshit. I want to die. I want to die so badly. I hate  
  
this. I hate it so much."  
  
"Stop it."  
  
"I hate my existence and everyone around me. I want to kill  
  
myself and everyone with me."  
  
"STOP IT!"  
  
"Yeah, kill everything. Wipe out everything and everyone. I  
  
have the power to do it, too. I'll kill everyone and then turn   
  
those powers on myself..."  
  
Erebus slapped her. Hotaru put a hand to her face and stared  
  
at her counterpart.  
  
"Did you hear what you were saying, Hotaru?" Erebus paused   
  
for effect. "Kill everyone and then turn your powers on yourself?  
  
Are you planning some great, genocidal murder-suicide? Are you   
  
going to kill all the children and infants? The innocent. Those  
  
who WANT to live, and have no quarrel with you?"  
  
Hotaru said nothing.  
  
"Now you see what I mean? Allow yourself to continue along  
  
this path, and it will mean nothing but a descent into further   
  
madness."  
  
"I am mad."  
  
"Stop thinking that way. All things considered, you've dealt  
  
with your experiences far better than anyone else in your position  
  
would have."  
  
"I am MAD! INSANE! What else can I be?"  
  
"Pitiful? Sad? Mistaken? Deluded? These things do come to  
  
mind." Erebus shook her head. "It doesn't matter what you do and  
  
say. You cannot impress me. Try and think of it this way...   
  
You're trying to impress yourself. You're trying to convince   
  
yourself that the words you say are the truth, a definitive   
  
statement of belief."  
  
Hotaru looked down, and Erebus nodded. "You see, you don't  
  
believe your words, either. You're using them as a defence against  
  
what I'm trying to tell you. You don't want to talk about these  
  
things because you don't want to be told you're wrong."  
  
"I am wrong."  
  
"Stop it... You're trying to rationalise what it is you've  
  
done. And it isn't something that can be rationalised because it  
  
isn't rational. Are you a complete fool, girl, giving up on your  
  
father like that? And what about Usako?"  
  
"What about Usako?"  
  
"You spent YEARS looking for her, after experiencing   
  
everything she has gone through in her time. Usako the Healer.  
  
Even though Usagis are hated in this world, she is one who has   
  
fought that perception with kindness and creativity. Why are you  
  
turning your back on her? Why can't you work with her to create a  
  
life that is better than what you have now? Look after yourself  
  
and there is no need for you to die, you have all the time in   
  
existence to do so."  
  
"Have you ever thought that I do not WANT to?"  
  
"Oh, you want to, alright. Ultimately, all your behaviours  
  
over the last few years have been nothing more than little messages  
  
to those around you... To improve things."  
  
"I don't want to hear that." Hotaru put her hands over her  
  
ears. "I am not going to listen to this. I am not going to change.  
  
I am not going to listen..."  
  
Erebus rolled her eyes and sat back.  
  
"Fine! Be like that, then. Don't listen to this little voice  
  
in your head. You really are nothing more than a child in the head,  
  
aren't you?"  
  
Hotaru pulled her hands away and stared at Erebus. "What did  
  
you say?"  
  
"You're a child in your head. You're so pathetically   
  
infantile. You lash out at people at the slightest remark because  
  
you think everything they do and say is done to hurt you. Talk   
  
about monumentally stupid."  
  
"Stupid is talking to yourself. No, wait... Talking to   
  
yourself isn't stupid, its a sign of madness. How the hell did you  
  
become... Solid? Real? How did you become separate from me?"  
  
"Simplicity in itself. Each lifetime is a separate entity,  
  
even if we do live concurrently. We are, however, nothing more than  
  
the sum of our thoughts, feelings and experiences in the life which  
  
we live...."  
  
"Yes, but its more than that, isn't it?"  
  
Erebus raised an eyebrow. "What is?"  
  
"Its the whole past life thing. I've suffered in this life  
  
because of what I had been in my past one. Your life. Your time.  
  
And, you know, thinking about it, I begin to wonder whether half of  
  
what I feel now is nothing more than my trying to work through   
  
things that have built up over all of my past lives."  
  
Erebus shrugged. "That might be so. I guess it is a   
  
possibility that my time, sealed away in the crystal, has bred a   
  
desire to experience both life and death in their full glories.  
  
I didn't want to be sealed away... But it was my duty. I succeeded  
  
in becoming the senshi of Saturn... Not what I wanted to be. I   
  
actually applied to be one of the minor senshi... The general army  
  
of magic users. But, well, I guess they found something within me   
  
that just seemed to fit the role."  
  
"Yeah, suicidal mania."  
  
Erebus snorted. "I didn't go ballistic at the end of the  
  
Kingdom because I thought it was going to make things better. I  
  
would have preferred to have done nothing to hurt anyone."  
  
"Oh bullshit. You were eager to let rip."  
  
Erebus now rolled her eyes and lay back. "Jeez, what does it  
  
take to convince you that you are a rampant idiot?"  
  
"How about being nice about it?"  
  
"I AM being nice about it. As nice as I'm going to be. To  
  
myself. I mean, why am I even bothering to talk to you? Do you  
  
think I want to be here?"  
  
"Yeah, what brought you here, anyway?" I mean, how the hell  
  
did you become... Become. You seem really good at avoiding   
  
answering me."  
  
"Umm, that's kinda hard to explain."  
  
"Is it Usako? Is she responsible for dragging you out?"  
  
"Well, in a way, yes. Or, at least, one aspect of her is."  
  
"What? Which aspect is that?"  
  
"You know. You've seen inside her mind."  
  
Hotaru looked away. "I'd rather not, if its fine by you. So,  
  
Usako sent you, did she? To work on me and make me feel like going  
  
back."  
  
"I doubt if she's even vaguely concious of me."  
  
"HA! Yeah, right. Like I can experience all she experiences,  
  
she can do the same with me."  
  
"And therefore, knows what you went through. What you felt.  
  
And yet she feels none of the pain you do. I wonder why?"  
  
"Because those things didn't happen to her."  
  
"Whatever. I guess you're just going to have to make your own  
  
mind up on this matter. Because, I'm afraid, Usako shall not wait  
  
for you to become a monster."  
  
Hotaru paused, and looked at Erebus. A long silence followed.   
  
"What do you mean by that?" She asked, eventually.  
  
Erebus sat up again. "What do you think it means?" She   
  
stood. "My time with you is up. I'll be watching, though. From  
  
behind your eyes." Erebus slowly turned and stepped away as Hotaru  
  
watched her begin to glow once more. Erebus stopped and turned   
  
aside. "Oh, and a word of warning. I'm afraid destiny has a way of  
  
forcing itself into one's life."  
  
"W.. What do you mean by that?"  
  
Erebus smiled. And vanished.  
  
Morning came with the same distinct air of cheerfulness that  
  
always irked Hotaru. Now, if only she could remember how the hell  
  
things ended up the way they did.  
  
She was lying on the floor of the valley, her backpack and   
  
glaive lying nearby. Slowly, she sat up and looked over at the   
  
ledge where she THOUGHT she had planted herself for the night.  
  
For a few moments, she rubbed her forehead, wondering if she  
  
was losing touch with even her own limited sense of reality. Did  
  
she just have an argument with herself, in her sleep, over the  
  
direction her life was taking?  
  
She shook these thoughts out of her head and crawled out of  
  
her sleeping bag, jumping around because of the cold for a few   
  
moments. She really should have brought more in the way of warm  
  
clothes, but a senshi uniform was a senshi uniform, no matter what  
  
it looked like. And she'd rather be ready if she came face to face  
  
with the assassin than have to go through the rigmarole of having  
  
to transform first.  
  
She managed to collect enough wood to make a fire, and lit  
  
the bundle with her cigarette lighter. Thankfully, the sky was  
  
clear and there was no wind. Whatever had happened to the weather  
  
of yesterday, it wasn't obviously going to make a dramatic   
  
reappearance.  
  
She sat next to the fire, warming herself, then waited for it  
  
to settle before she placed a billy-can from her backpack on top,  
  
filling it with water from her water canister.  
  
She registered the approach of two figures. Not so much a  
  
physical approach... More the signals from the minds.... Young  
  
minds. VERY young minds. Children.  
  
Hotaru stood and looked around. the sun was up now and she  
  
could easily see approximately 100 feet in every direction. Whilst  
  
the regrowth in this part of the world was thick, mostly due to the  
  
shelter of the valley during the cataclysm, it wasn't so great that  
  
the landscape was totally obscured.  
  
Their minds weren't afraid at all. In fact, she could feel  
  
their happiness. A kind of innocent, unknowing happiness. She  
  
wondered who they could be until she remembered that the assassin's  
  
hostages were a couple of young girls.  
  
Two girls taken from a Shinto temple in the neighbouring  
  
district. Nobody knew why. The assassin had just appeared one day  
  
and snatched them. They had put up a hell of a fight to get the   
  
girls back. Something about them being the reincarnation of some  
  
spirit beings.... Still, from what she had heard about the   
  
activities within that temple, she wasn't surprised the assassin  
  
had targeted them.  
  
Still, it fascinated her that they were regarded as a form of  
  
spirit being. A reincarnation of such, no less. She thought about  
  
that for a while. The temple had placed a reward for their return.  
  
There must be something to their superstition...  
  
Reincarnation. By Kami, she was getting pretty sick and tired  
  
of the whole concept, now. She sighed. What to do, what to do?  
  
She bit her lower lip... The children... So strange that  
  
they should.... They were running free, away from the assassin.   
  
They were playing, like children would. She just couldn't get her  
  
mind around it. What the hell was going on here? She sighed and  
  
wondered if they could see the smoke from her fire, rising into the  
  
sky. Well, they probably would. So would the assassin, but that  
  
didn't concern her. The criminal was still within the valley, but  
  
not approaching her.  
  
She began to wonder why she would have let the children run  
  
off and play. That combined with the total lack of fear on the part  
  
of the children worried her.  
  
She sat down and watched the water boil in the billy-can. She  
  
reached into the backpack and pulled out a small packet of sachets.  
  
She emptied the contents of one into the billy and pulled out a   
  
knife from her jacket to stir it with.  
  
She could feel them now, so very close. They could see the   
  
fire. They were curious. She smiled inwardly. Feel... Feel their  
  
childlike innocence... Their...  
  
Hotaru found she got a headache VERY quickly. The minds of  
  
the girls... their DEEP thoughts, were closed from her. It would  
  
seem that it would be only the shallow, moment to moment thoughts  
  
that they would give up to her.  
  
She stirred the contents of the billy quietly, and saw   
  
something move out of the corner of her left eye. She smiled and   
  
continued. Come on, kiddies... I'm an interesting diversion. You  
  
want to know what I'm doing here. Come on....  
  
The bushes rustled. Footsteps, small and quiet. They were  
  
curious. They wanted to know who she was. Yes. But one was   
  
cautious. She might be the "dangerous woman" their rescuer...  
  
Rescuer?  
  
Their rescuer told them about. Her younger counterpart....  
  
Yes, her sister, she wanted to go on. But the older one wasn't   
  
going to let her. They should go back and tell their rescuer of  
  
what they had seen.  
  
Hotaru spun and stared in their direction. At that moment,  
  
they took flight. She was only just able to catch a glimpse of  
  
their retreating backs, a flash of long, darkish hair and ceremonial  
  
robes, before they were gone. Hotaru cursed. Oh well. She knew  
  
where the assassin was. No point in hurrying things.  
  
She was sure that the colour of the girl's hair glinted some  
  
unusual shades in the sunlight. Green and blue.... She shook her  
  
head. The concept of such hair types in the human gene pool boggled  
  
her mind. Of course, she'd seen worse... Just take Chibiusa, for  
  
example....  
  
Chibiusa. Hotaru's mood ramped down several levels. Would  
  
she even exist, now? Now that everyone was dead? She remembered  
  
that day they first met... Back when...  
  
Hotaru clenched her fists. How could they have met?   
  
Chibiusa's mother and father were dead. At least, that was what she  
  
believed to be the case. She hadn't seen Mamoru die. But he, like  
  
many of the others, had not been seen since the days following the  
  
cataclysm.  
  
Hotaru was satisfied that the mess in the billy was now   
  
edible. Slowly, she lifted the can from the coals and placed a   
  
small towel on her lap, where she set it down and began to spoon  
  
out the contents with the knife. Good thing the knife doubled as  
  
an eating implement. She hated having to carry cutlery wherever  
  
she went.  
  
But then, she hated porridge. Especially if it was without  
  
sugar or salt or something like that. It tasted like gelatinous  
  
cardboard. Why she would eat it, she had no idea. Probably   
  
because, in situations like this, it was so easy to make.  
  
Damn, her mind would wander.  
  
Eventually, she'd finished stuffing herself and, after washing  
  
out the billy with a little of the water from the canister, replaced  
  
everything in their rightful places, put out the fire, slung the  
  
backpack over her shoulder and picked up her glaive.  
  
She stared at the implement. The massive and intimidating  
  
polearm that some people had unkindly christened the "Giant Can-  
  
Opener". She first heard that one about four years ago on Radio  
  
Free Kyoto. She had to admit, she actually found it a little   
  
amusing. But then, they were paying her out, so she used the weapon  
  
to chop down their transmitter aerials. She chuckled to herself.  
  
There were times when she could maintain her sense of humour.  
  
But the Glaive meant more than that. It was a symbol. Her  
  
symbol. A symbol of the position of Saturn. She might have been  
  
trying to turn her back on the past, but as long as she had this,  
  
she wasn't going to change. She wasn't going to stop being a  
  
senshi. She held it aloft and watched as the air condensed and  
  
washed around it. Big deal. It was just a double-point blade  
  
on a stick. And it wasn't even the original. Well, not technically  
  
the original. Galaxia had seen to that. Smashing the Glaive and,  
  
symbolically, smashing her. Before she succeeded in reality.  
  
Just one swipe, she thought. I'd love to take just ONE swipe  
  
at that bitch. And I'd like to collect... Just a little. She  
  
lowered the Glaive and went on her way, in the direction the two  
  
girls disappeared.  
  
After wandering through the scrub for some twenty minutes, she  
  
found herself beside a river. The river that ran through the middle  
  
of the valley. The river that created the valley in the first   
  
place. And it was dry.  
  
In years gone by, the river would have been full with the   
  
cool waters of melted snow. But the mountains that had collected   
  
the snow had been seriously rearranged by the cataclysm. Now, with  
  
both the geography and meteorology of the area changed irrevocably,  
  
a new order had set in. Little of the plant life that existed in   
  
the valley was originally native to the area, but was all that was   
  
capable of surviving without the plentiful supply of fresh water the  
  
river once provided  
  
Hotaru was careful of the river, though. She'd known   
  
riverbeds like this one, before. They looked dry, but underneath   
  
the veneer was mud. The kind of mud that liked to suck you right  
  
down and hold you there. She followed its length for ten minutes  
  
before it came time for a raincheck.  
  
She emerged from the bushes, feeling relieved, musing on how  
  
her senshi powers were capable of dealing with everything except the  
  
basic functions of a human body. So much for being that bit higher  
  
on the food chain than the ordinary human.  
  
But it was fortunate, really, that she had chosen that   
  
opportune moment to deal with her discomfort. Because, just further  
  
down the river was a distant figure, and she knew, from the mind   
  
probings she had sent, she hadn't seen her.  
  
Hotaru ducked back into the brush, watching the figure. Her  
  
attire seemed somewhat strange. Traditional would have been the   
  
word for them. Like the kind of Japanese clothing used in the mid  
  
19th century. She studied the figure hard, but couldn't make out  
  
any other distinctive feature.  
  
There was another thing. This wasn't the assassin, either.  
  
A mind she had missed completely with her probings. She shook her  
  
head. She was slipping up in her old age. She had only counted on  
  
there being the three within the valley.... The assassin and her  
  
two "hostages". Well, it was a bit hard to call them that now. She  
  
hadn't bargained on the assassin having anyone else with him.   
  
Another hostage, perhaps, or a partner?  
  
She watched the figure, and came to the conclusion, from the  
  
colouring and design of the kimono that it was a woman. Most likely   
  
another Usagi, since they very rarely travelled alone. Although   
  
this one had black hair. Many Usagis had taken to colouring their   
  
hair to stop making themselves so identifiable. Some had different   
  
coloured hair for no reason other than that was what their genes   
  
mitigated. With Usagis it had always been luck of the draw.  
  
The woman had leaned down to the riverside, and Hotaru could  
  
see the glimmer of water, the dry river running into a still-full   
  
lake. She licked her lips and pulled her water canister from her   
  
backpack. Almost empty. She noramlly never carried water... She   
  
often had too much else to drink to bother. This time, she'd   
  
undercooked on certain aspects of her preparations. That meant   
  
she'd have to fill up the canister somewhere. She waited and   
  
watched as the woman filled up two buckets connected to a pole with   
  
water, and carried them away.  
  
She disappeared behind the line of the bush, and Hotaru took  
  
her opportunity. She quickly made her way along the line of the  
  
brush and reached the far end of the waterline. The water there  
  
looked somewhat poxy, so she continued on to where the water became   
  
clear.  
  
Leaving her backpack on the bank, and taking a good look   
  
around, checking mental signals for whereabouts, she brought the  
  
canister to the waterline and began to fill it up.  
  
Water pushed air aside, bubbles rising to the surface as she  
  
checked around her repeatedly. Eventually, the water reached the  
  
top and she pulled it out, replacing the cap. She turned to walk  
  
back up the bank to her backpack, when she heard splashing sounds  
  
from no more than three metres into the water.  
  
She turned and watched as something rose. Something wet,   
  
slimy and definitely not your average form of wildlife. Hotaru  
  
reached out her hand for the Glaive, and it flew to her, its handle  
  
slipping into her hand perfectly. She levelled the blade at the  
  
thing that had now stopped rising. It had two eyes, a mouth, not  
  
much of a nose and ears, and it was green. Well, greenish, anyway.  
  
And it looked vaguely humanoid.  
  
A Kappa. Hotaru facefaulted. These things were supposed to  
  
be nothing more than a myth. At least, that was what Hotaru had  
  
always believed. Stupid girl, in a world where people like her   
  
existed, these things were probably a dime a dozen.  
  
The Kappa started to make smacking sounds with its lips, and  
  
moved forward, watching Hotaru curiously. She backed away, slightly  
  
nervous. The Kappa stopped and looked at the Glaive, then cocked   
  
its head to one side.  
  
"What are you going to do to Kappa-chan?" Hotaru must have   
  
jumped five feet into the air when she spin around, because she   
  
ended up falling onto her rear, dropping the Glaive and her   
  
canister and banging her head on the ground.  
  
The next thing she knew, she was lying on the bank with a  
  
young woman in a kimono waving air in her face. Her head was rested  
  
against her backpack. Behind the woman, the Kappa was watching   
  
curiously.  
  
"Thank Kami.... Are you alright?"  
  
"I.. uh.. I think so."  
  
"You fell to the ground when I surprised you. I thought you  
  
were going to roll into the water, but Kappa-chan stopped you." The  
  
woman smiled. "Gomen... I didn't mean to."  
  
"That okay. I was just kinda surprised. When the... uh...   
  
the Kappa... rose from the water."  
  
"Yes, he does tend to surprise people like that. Not that we  
  
get many people visiting the valley."  
  
"No, I can see that. Who are you?" Hotaru rubbed her eyes   
  
and looked clearly. The woman... It was definitely an Usagi with   
  
black hair, not even any blond roots on this one. She wore a pretty  
  
kimono, coloured yellow with black patterning, and had her hair tied  
  
up in a red ribbon.  
  
"Who am I? Perhaps I should ask you the same question. And   
  
what the hell is this?" The woman lifted up the Glaive from beside  
  
her. Hotaru sweatdropped.  
  
"That's... uh... a Silence Glaive. I cleave galaxies with it  
  
for a cheap price. Discounts for pensioners."  
  
The woman stared at her, then fell back, laughing. Hotaru sat  
  
up and took back the Glaive she had involuntarily dropped. "What's  
  
so funny?"  
  
The woman sat up again, shaking her head. "So, you're Black  
  
Saturn, are you? I thought you looked like how my friend   
  
described."  
  
"Your friend? And who might that be?"  
  
"Why don't you ask her. She's standing behind you." Hotaru  
  
spun and saw a couple of feet. She tried to stand, but ended up  
  
toppling backwards, only just caught in time by the woman and the  
  
Kappa. Hotaru blinked several times and stared at the new arrival.  
  
Another Usagi. With long red hair, tied back in a tail, and  
  
a cross scar on her left cheek, dressed in a basic red and white  
  
kimono, with sword, sheathed, at her side.  
  
"USASHIN!?!"  
  
"Hello Saturn. We meet again." Usashin smiled, sweetly.  
  
It was a fairly long walk back to the hut that Usashin used  
  
as her hideaway, and the scrub was reasonably thick, although not   
  
impassable. Usashin's friend had to struggle with the water   
  
carrier, though. Hotaru offered to help, but the woman declined.  
  
Usashin introduced her friend as Kamiya Kaorusagi. And from  
  
the manner she described the way they'd met, shortly after the   
  
cataclysm, there was a great deal more than friendship involved in  
  
their partnering. Hotaru looked back at Kaorusagi, who smiled at  
  
her, sweetly. Hotaru sweatdropped nervously, and moved on to the  
  
subject of the two girls....  
  
"...Yes, the two children did mention seeing you. I thought  
  
you might try and follow them. One of the reasons I let them play  
  
today."  
  
"But... What if I'd done something to them?"  
  
"You wouldn't have. You're not that kind of person."  
  
Hotaru sighed. "So why didn't you just get in touch with me,  
  
yourself?"  
  
"Because someone has hired you to catch or kill me. I thought  
  
it might be better to see what you would do, first." She smiled.   
  
"You might not know it, but I've been watching you since you entered  
  
the valley."  
  
"EH?" Hotaru stared at Usashin. Kaorusagi chuckled.  
  
"We've both been taking turns in watching you." She shook her  
  
head. "You have some very odd behaviours when you're on your own,   
  
you know that?" Kaorusagi pointed at an approaching clearing, where  
  
the hut could be seen, nestling within some very thick trees.  
  
Hotaru stepped into the clearing with the two Usagis.   
  
Stopping to look at the vegetation. "More survivors of the   
  
cataclysm." She put a hand on one of the trees.  
  
"Yes, we tend to forget that human beings weren't the only   
  
things to suffer during that event." Usashin smiled. "I suppose   
  
you'd like an explanation for why I took the girls, now?"  
  
"That... Would be helpful."  
  
Usashin turned to Kaorusagi. "Can you see how the girls are,  
  
whilst I talk to Saturn?"  
  
Kaorusagi smiled and nodded, padding across to the door of the  
  
hut. She placed the water next to the door and went inside.  
  
Usashin found herself a log to sit on, and gestured Hotaru to  
  
do the same. Hotaru sat on the opposite end of the log, resting the  
  
Glaive before her.  
  
"Such a sinister looking weapon." Usashin pondered. "Have   
  
you had much call to use it on anyone, lately?"  
  
"I'd rather not say." Hotaru looked down. Usashin shrugged.  
  
"So, about these girls..." Hotaru leaned forward and Usashin  
  
nodded.  
  
"I first heard about these two girls about a month ago. There  
  
were stories getting about that the priets at that shrine had found  
  
the reincarnation of two of their former high priestesses, who were  
  
supposed to have saved the shrine from destruction during the   
  
cataclysm. I, naturally, was interested."  
  
"There have been many strange stories about that shrine, going  
  
back to the days long before the cataclysm... That they were the   
  
branch of some secular cult...."  
  
"And indeed, they were. In a sense. You see, the entire   
  
shrine is a front.... For a brothel. A child brothel. They have  
  
been kidnapping children from almost every corner of the Japanese  
  
Isles for this purpose."  
  
Hotaru turned up her nose. "And those scum have the ear of   
  
the local Governor."  
  
"I wouldn't be surprised if the local Governor was a member of  
  
the group. Well, anyway... With the help of some friends of mine,  
  
we raided the place one night and rescued the children from their  
  
tormentors. And believe me, they weren't going to let those kids   
  
out of their hands easily. We had to kill two dozen of them before  
  
they would back off."  
  
"The... ummm... priests?"  
  
"Well, who else would we? They and their hired guards."  
  
"So, what happened to the kids, and why are they so determined  
  
to get this particular pair back?"  
  
Usashin took in a breath. "The other kids we managed to   
  
smuggle east, towards the Shin Tokyo district. But this pair...   
  
Well, I couldn't leave this pair unguarded. Those sick bastards  
  
were right about one thing... They are special. That was why I  
  
kept them here, with me. It was an opportunity that couldn't be  
  
wasted. After all that had happened before, with the downfall of  
  
the opportunity to bring Crystal Tokyo into being... I didn't  
  
want to let it pass...."  
  
Usashin looked at Hotaru earnestly. So earnestly that Hotaru  
  
felt a strange shiver run down her back. What was it her former   
  
self had said to her? Destiny has a way of forcing itself into your  
  
life....  
  
"What do you mean? What opportunity is this?"  
  
The door to the hut swung open, and Kaorusagi stepped out with  
  
the two girls. Hotaru watched the silent and nervous children as  
  
they were guided across the space between them. She felt a certain  
  
dizziness as they stopped and looked at her.  
  
"Come on..." Said Kaorusagi. "Introduce yourselves to Saturn  
  
oneechan."  
  
The older one, with dark blue hair, stepped forward. "My name  
  
is Umi-chan, pleased to meet you, Saturn-oneechan."  
  
"Uh.. Pleased to meet you." She turned to the younger one,   
  
who looked at her more nervously. All Hotaru could pay attention to  
  
was the girl's... dark green hair. "And, uh... who might you be?"  
  
"Setsuna..." the girl said, putting a finger to her mouth.  
  
Hotaru nodded, feeling a tight sensation in her chest.  
  
"Setsuna... Well, its nice to meet you both."  
  
"Are you the bad lady Usa-oneechan said was coming to hurt   
  
us?" Umi asked. Hotaru shot Usashin a dirty look, to see the Usagi   
  
had turned away, studying the trees.  
  
"No. I'm not going to hurt you. I'll protect you, like Usa-  
  
oneechan here." She reached forward. "Shall we be friends?"  
  
The girls looked at her outstretched hand, and guilessly took  
  
hold of it. "Friends." They both said, smiling. Hotaru smiled   
  
back. For some reason, Hotaru could feel tears running from her   
  
eyes.  
  
"Oneechan.. You're crying." Umi said. "Are you hurt?"  
  
"No, Umi-chan... I've never felt better." She smiled again,  
  
then took the both of them in her arms, and sobbed out loud.  
  
"Its okay, Saturn-oneechan. We'll protect you." Setsuna  
  
smiled at her. "We have big powers. One day, we'll be great   
  
warriors."  
  
Hotaru lifted up her head, looking at them, and said, softly.  
  
"I'm sure you will. I know you will...."  
  
Hotaru sat back and watched the two girls play, chasing each  
  
other around the clearing as Kaorusagi did some washing, and Usashin  
  
started up a fire to make a meal. A strange sense of calm had   
  
settled over her.... One that she didn't entirely understand.  
  
It wasn't something she was going to argue about, though. She  
  
hadn't felt this good without the usage of chemical stimulation for  
  
some time. She chuckled to herself. Usashin had told her it would  
  
be good if she sat back for a while and enjoyed the peace and quiet,  
  
after the little revelation of the last couple of hours.  
  
So.... Setsuna and her strange sister were back, eh? She  
  
tried to ignore the complicity of Naiad's role in promoting the  
  
cataclysm... This life was going to be a very different one, and  
  
she was aware of what could happen if the girl was allowed to run  
  
off the rails like that again.  
  
But Umi? What kind of name was that? She knew the name meant  
  
"sea" or "ocean", which suited Naiad's mysterious water powers well.  
  
If things ran like clockwork with her development, there was a   
  
possibility she may replace either Michiru or Ami as the senshi of  
  
Neptune or Mercury. But she doubted it. If Umi remained as odd and  
  
eccentric as she had been in her previous lives, she was going to  
  
retain the role of a miko. As Setsuna was, most likely, going to   
  
retain her place as Pluto.  
  
She closed her eyes, and saw visions of her friends. No...  
  
going back long before that. The original senshi, under the reign  
  
of Queen... Which Queen was it now? Dammit... Just too many lives  
  
lived to remember.  
  
Queen Procellaria, that was her! The only 13th candidate for  
  
the position of Queen to be successful. Oh yeah, now that WAS a   
  
pack of poor performers during those days. And she was as nutty as  
  
a fruitcake... What did one expect when you were forced to go as  
  
far down the line as 13? She wondered who Queen Procellaria had   
  
been reborn as. Was she an equally dopey 13th candidate, living  
  
somewhere within Tokyo before its destruction? Was she still alive,  
  
today? And why was she getting visions of Usagi's old teacher,   
  
Haruna-sensei, when she thought about it?  
  
She had been a senshi then. Not Saturn, that time, but   
  
Jupiter. Hard to believe the kind of leap she had made from one to  
  
the next. Things would have been so much better had she retained  
  
the Jupiter energies.... But for some reason, it hadn't seemed  
  
right. Her next few lives had been a succession of uncomfortable  
  
minor senshi postings, none of which suited her capabilities.  
  
And here she was, looking through entire lives as if they were  
  
nothing more than a succession of career changes. She shook her  
  
head, wishing she had no memory of these past lives. It kind of  
  
cheapened her existence. There had to be some point to all of this.  
  
Life needed to be a challenge, not just a fait accompli.  
  
It had certainly been a challenge for the last couple of   
  
years. Not a challenge she would be willing to repeat. But now,  
  
Setsuna and her sister were back. And as the traditional firstborns  
  
of the senshi and the miko, that meant the others were to follow, if  
  
they hadn't already been born.  
  
Somewhere, out in that world, her friends might be alive.   
  
Reborn, maybe no more than babes in arms. Hotaru shuddered.   
  
Saturn. The senshi who represented old age and wisdom (she snorted   
  
at the concept). She shook her head. For her to play the role of   
  
mother to an entirely new generation....  
  
She opened her eyes again, and saw another pair staring back  
  
at them. She must have pulled a face in shock, because Setsuna  
  
laughed out loud.  
  
"Saturn-oneechan is so funny when she wakes up. She makes all  
  
kinds of funny faces." And to underline the fact, Setsuna started  
  
pulling Hotaru's cheeks, to which she giggled painfully.  
  
"Ow! Owie! I get the point, Setsuna-chan... Stop, please  
  
owwwie!" Setsuna giggled back, and let go of Hotaru, who rubbed her  
  
sore cheeks as Setsuna climbed into her lap and lay down on her   
  
front.  
  
"Saturn-oneechan...."  
  
"Call me Hotaru. Hotaru-oneechan." Setsuna looked up at her,  
  
smiling.  
  
"Hotaru-oneechan.... Is it true, what Usa-oneechan says,   
  
about you being able to destroy the world if evil tries to take   
  
over?"  
  
Hotaru didn't know how to answer that. "Umm, well, only if it  
  
is REALLY necessary. I would never do it, otherwise."  
  
"So its true?"  
  
"Uh, I guess so."  
  
"Cool." Setsuna giggled. "That sounds really mean."  
  
"Yeah, I guess it does." Hotaru sweatdropped. She heard a  
  
huffing sound and turned to her right, where Umi was watching the  
  
pair of them jealously. Hotaru giggled as Setsuna stuck her tongue  
  
out.  
  
"I was here first."  
  
"Aww... You always take everything for yourself."  
  
"Biiiiiiiida!" Setsuna stuck her tongue out again, and Hotaru  
  
couldn't help but laugh as the pair started to prod each other with  
  
their fingers.  
  
"Lunch is ready." Usashin smiled at them. Both Setsuna and   
  
Umi smiled.  
  
"Wai! Lunch! Lunch! Usa-oneesan's cooked us lunch!" The   
  
pair left an amused Hotaru and bounded over to Usashin, who smiled  
  
as she ladled soup into several bowls. Kaorusagi watched them   
  
happily as she hung the last item of clothing on the simple line  
  
that ran between the hut and a tree, wiped her hands and trotted  
  
off to join them.  
  
Usashin looked over at Hotaru. "You wish to join us, Saturn?"  
  
"Her name is Hotaru-oneechan!" Said Setsuna huffily as she  
  
blew ineffectually on her soup, grabbing a spoon that was sitting on  
  
a nearby rug. Hotaru chuckled and stood, wandering slowly over.  
  
The peace of the place seemed to be seeping into Hotaru's   
  
mind. There was such an air of domestication to the scene that   
  
Hotaru had clean forgotten the purpose to which she had been sent  
  
here. As Setsuna and Umi quickly finished their soup, with a small  
  
bread roll to wipe up the leftovers, they dumped their bowls and  
  
ran out into the forest. Hotaru latched onto their thoughts,  
  
protectively, as if guarding them with the power of her mind. She  
  
lay back on the blanket which she had chosen.  
  
"So, Sa.. Hotaru." Usashin had sat back against the trunk  
  
of a tree as Kaorusagi collected the empty bowls. "What do you  
  
intend to do? With us, I mean."  
  
Hotaru frowned. "With you? I hardly think I'm going to hand  
  
you in or kill you." She stared into the sky. "I'm not sure what  
  
I'm going to do."  
  
"You made no guarantees? To your employers."  
  
"I make no guarantees. Not to anyone." She smiled. "There  
  
is no reason any of them should know what happens to you."  
  
"Ah, but they WILL know, won't they, if I am ever seen again?"  
  
"Then leave this place, with the girls. Get as far from here  
  
as possible."  
  
"No." Usashin said, simply. "I am not going to leave this   
  
place." Hotaru sat up and looked at her.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I like this place. When both Kaorusagi and myself  
  
discovered this valley, we knew this was the place we had been   
  
searching for. There is a power to this place. An incredible  
  
serenity..."  
  
Hotaru sighed. "But if they know you're alive, then they will  
  
know that there is a possibility that the girls are alive, too. And  
  
they will come to this place in search for them."  
  
"Not if we change that scenario."  
  
"You mean I take them?"  
  
There was a long silence as Kaorusagi washed out the bowls and  
  
spoons, taking them inside the hut. Usashin watched her for a few   
  
moments, then turned back to Hotaru.  
  
"You know what they are. What they will become. They have no  
  
place amongst a pair of failed Usagi clones like us."  
  
"You aren't failiures..."  
  
"Yes we are. We failed to be the perfect Usagi, and instead  
  
chose to be individuals. We're both fighters, warriors... Not   
  
candidates to be a Queen for a future kingdom."  
  
"But what am I going to do with them? I can't travel the   
  
world with them. I don't have anywhere to return to."  
  
"You do have one place you can return to."  
  
Hotaru stared at Usashin for some time, then looked down at  
  
the ground. "I can't. I can't go back there."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I just can't, alright. I've burnt that bridge. I don't want  
  
to see any of them, not anymore."  
  
"But you have a link with one of them. A more important link  
  
than you can imagine..."  
  
"I don't want that link. I don't want to see her. Can't you  
  
understand that? I don't want to... I don't..." she trailed off.  
  
She thumped the ground with her fist and stood. "Dammit,  
  
Usashin.... I don't want this kind of responsibility. I can't  
  
handle it."  
  
"Perhaps you're more responsible than you give yourself credit  
  
for. Destiny does not play its hand unwisely."  
  
"Destiny destiny destiny! There is that word again. I'm sick  
  
and bloody tired of hearing about it." She stomped around as   
  
Kaorusagi stepped from the doorway and stopped, watching her. "All  
  
things being equal, this is far better a place for them to be  
  
raised."  
  
"But is equally dangerous if those who wish to abuse them and  
  
their powers find out where they are."  
  
"They know YOU are in the valley already. If they haven't   
  
sent someone other than me..." Hotaru stopped for a moment. "Hey,  
  
wait.... I didn't detect Kaorusagi's mind when I entered this   
  
valley.... Just a collection of mind signals. I thought that was  
  
just animal life..." Hotaru went pale. Both Usashin and Kaorusagi  
  
stared at each other.  
  
"But surely, we would have spotted someone if they had   
  
followed you coming into the valley..." Kaorusagi looked at Hotaru,  
  
who had now turned to her Glaive. Usashin stood.  
  
"That doesn't mean they followed Saturn in, or entered through  
  
the same path." Usashin turned to Hotaru, who had beckoned her   
  
Glaive to her. "Find the children, quickly! We shall make a search  
  
of the nearby area for signs of activity...." Usashin put a hand on  
  
her sword, then turned to Kaorusagi, who had grabbed a wooden sword  
  
from within the hut. Hotaru nodded to them and disappeared into the  
  
forest, in the direction of the girls.  
  
She followed their mind trail, which was not difficult to do.  
  
The girls had made their way back towards the lake. She was glad   
  
that their thoughts remained happy.... That meant nothing had   
  
happened to them. Still, it was difficult for her to make her way  
  
through the undergrowth, trying to find some sign of where they   
  
were.  
  
And then she heard Setsuna let out a cry. Their thoughts had  
  
changed VERY suddenly. Hotaru panicked and began to slice through  
  
anything that got in her way with the Glaive.... Whole trees   
  
collapsed around her as she homed in on the point where she had  
  
heard Setsuna. Eventually, she bowled through the scrub and onto  
  
the sand bank of the lake. There, she could see the two girls,  
  
staring down at a figure that lay still on the waterline.  
  
Several more figures approached them from behind. Ninjas.  
  
Kami, she hated them.  
  
"Umi-chan! Setsuna-chan! RUN!" The girls turned to her   
  
voice, then noticed the approaching ninjas. They made to run, but  
  
the figures were upon them almost instantly, bringing them to the  
  
ground. Hotaru had no time to think... She charged in, swinging  
  
the Glaive in a vicious circle.  
  
The two closest ninjas only had enough time to realise what  
  
was approaching them before they had their heads taken clean off.  
  
Their three comrades looked up after grabbing the girls. The first  
  
was skewered and ripped open. The remaining two let go of the  
  
girls and backed away, towards the lake. Both Umi and Setsuna  
  
looked up at Hotaru in fear. Her eyes had glazed over.  
  
She went for her quarry, whipping the Glaive around in a   
  
manner that was incapable of being defended against. She caught the   
  
first just below the shoulder, the blade slicing neatly through.   
  
The second she grabbed with her left hand, pushing him into the   
  
water. She brought the blade of the Glaive viciously through his   
  
chest, turning it a couple of times to be sure. She then pulled it   
  
out and stood back, puffing heavily, her eyes running with tears.  
  
She turned to the girls, who hadn't moved from where they had  
  
been let go. They stared at her with dumbfounded expressions.  
  
"Are you two alright?"  
  
"Hai." Umi said simply. Setsuna just nodded.  
  
"What happened? Why did you scream. They hadn't attacked you  
  
yet when you screamed."  
  
Umi pointed to Hotaru's right. "They killed Kappa-chan."   
  
Hotaru looked to her right. Sure enough, the figure of the Kappa   
  
lay in the water, dead and still, a ripple of dark red blood running  
  
from its body. Hotaru closed her eyes and shivered, then turned   
  
back to the girls, stepping up to them.  
  
"Stay close to me. We're in danger."  
  
"Are they the bad men from the shrine?"  
  
"I most certainly think so."  
  
"Hotaru-oneechan..." Setsuna finally found her voice.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You were really cool, you know that?"  
  
Hotaru sweatdropped. "Uh, yeah." She slung the Glaive behind  
  
her, where it clipped on to the back of her senshi uniform. She   
  
then took the two girls by the hand and quickly lead them back into  
  
the scrub, where they stopped and she kneeled down to them.  
  
"Now, the pair of you are going to have to stay as close to me  
  
as possible, or else those bad men might try and take you away."  
  
"Hotaru-oneechan..." Umi looked at Hotaru, worriedly.  
  
"What is it, Umi-chan?"  
  
"Where are Usa-oneechan and Kao-oneechan?"  
  
"They've gone looking for the bad men."  
  
Setsuna shook her head. "No!" Hotaru and Umi looked at her.  
  
"What is it, Setsuna-chan?"  
  
"The bad men know where they are. The bad men are hunting  
  
them. They'll be hurt if we don't warn them."  
  
Hotaru felt sick. "Are you sure?" She held Setsuna's   
  
shoulders, but all the girl was able to do was stare back at her,  
  
mutely. Hotaru put her arms around the girls and lifted them up.  
  
She quickly started to make her way back through the forest.  
  
She placed the girls back on the ground when she arrived at  
  
the edge of the clearing. There was nobody to be seen, but she  
  
could hear noises from the hut, like a soft banging noise.  
  
"Quietly now." She whispered to the girls, and they nodded.  
  
Slowly, the three of them crept across the clearing towards the  
  
doorway of the hut. She unclipped the Glaive from her back and  
  
held it forward, in case anything came racing out of the open  
  
doorway. Motioning the girls to get behind her, she peered into  
  
the doorway cautiously.  
  
Somebody was dangling from the rafters of the hut, bleeding  
  
from a wound to the gut. He was dead, and Hotaru could see it was  
  
one of the ninjas. Chalk another one up to the prodigious fighting  
  
skills of Usashin.  
  
She stepped back, after having pushed the door wide open to  
  
make sure nobody was standing behind it. Slowly, she turned to the  
  
girls. "Did you see what was in there?" She hoped they didn't.   
  
But then, they'd seen so much, already. Her killing those ninjas,  
  
for a start. The pair of them just nodded at her, mutely.  
  
She closed her eyes a moment, trying to find the mind signals  
  
of Usashin and Kaorusagi.  
  
Nothing.  
  
She struggled a bit more, and found Usashin. Her signal was  
  
exceedingly weak.... Oh, please, don't let them be...  
  
She picked up the girls and ran into the forest, following the  
  
thought trail left by Usashin. Eventually, they ran past the bodies  
  
of several more ninjas, proving the pair had, at least, come in this  
  
direction.  
  
Then she saw something lying on the ground. The yellow kimono  
  
of Kaorusagi.  
  
"Kao-oneechan!" Umi stuttered as they approached the still   
  
form. Hotaru put the girl's down and knelt beside the body, which  
  
was lying on its front. She turned her and could see the huge tear  
  
across her chest and gut. She cringed and looked back at   
  
Kaorusagi's eyes, which stared back at her. She was still alive.  
  
"Kaorusagi...." She leaned down to the woman, who smiled at  
  
her. "Usashin... Where is she?"  
  
"...Was behind her... Got taken out by that pair.... Killed  
  
them before they had... the chance..." She coughed up blood, and  
  
Hotaru lifted up her head. She closed her eyes and allowed some of  
  
her healing energy to enter Kaorusagi's body. This, at the very  
  
least, stopped her bleeding. Kaorusagi looked up at her, strangely.  
  
"Don't... concern yourself with me, you fool."  
  
"Dammit. I'm not going to let them kill you." Hotaru opened  
  
her eyes and stared down at the woman. She smiled back up at her.  
  
"Its okay.... You can heal me later.... But don't let them  
  
hurt Usashin.... I won't forgive you if they do."  
  
They stared at each other for several moments, something   
  
passing between them. Hotaru looked from Umi to Setsuna. "You two,  
  
take care of Kao-oneechan for me. And if you see any of the bad   
  
men, lay low and stay quiet."  
  
The two girls nodded at her as she stood, picking up her   
  
Glaive. She closed her eyes and homed in on Usashin's thought  
  
patterns, then dashed through the forest, leaving the trio behind.  
  
As she ran through the forest, she could see more and more  
  
bodies, strewn throughout the low-lying scrub, and could hear, in  
  
front of her, the sounds of fighting. She followed the noise and  
  
happened upon a clearing, where she could see Usashin, her clothes  
  
torn and bloodied, standing her ground against a collection of   
  
ninjas who were charging her from every angle. There were a   
  
monstrous number of bodies lying everywhere. Hotaru boggled at  
  
such a scene. It even appeared that Usashin had used her energy  
  
blade attack, and had claimed a large number that way. But she  
  
was exhausting, and they just kept coming.  
  
Hotaru readied herself, holding the Glaive to her side. She  
  
began to twirl it round and let out a cry, charging forward, Trees  
  
that were in her way collapsed to the ground. Ninjas that were in  
  
those trees fell with them... Many either being killed or breaking  
  
arms and legs in the avalanche.  
  
She piled in to the first set of ninjas she could see, slicing  
  
and dicing her way through with the double-blade. Almost   
  
immediately, the ninjas were forced into a defensive, not expecting  
  
to be facing another enemy so soon. Those who recognised her for   
  
whom she was ran in terrified flight.  
  
Usashin was as much surprised by her appearance as the ninjas.  
  
She managed to reach her in no more than a few seconds, the path  
  
which she had cut through closed off as soon as she backed herself  
  
against the samurai Usagi.  
  
"What... what are you doing here? Where are the girls?"   
  
Usashin panted, coarsely. Hotaru smiled.  
  
"They should be safe. They're looking after Kaorusagi."  
  
"Fool. You should have taken them and run!"  
  
"I'm not going to let you two die, just for us."  
  
Usashin stared at her. "Very well then."  
  
The ninjas circled them, slowly. Every so often, one would  
  
make a suicidal charge, followed by another, from opposite sides.  
  
A tactic that may have worked had they simply been fighting Usashin.  
  
But with Hotaru now covering her back, it didn't have a hope of  
  
succeeding.  
  
From the trees, several objects flew in their direction.   
  
Shuriken and helmet splitters, deflected easily with the blade of  
  
the Glaive, its unnatural metallic construction totally unmarked  
  
by them.  
  
"Who are they?" Hotaru said through gritted teeth.  
  
"The hired thugs of the Shrine." Usashin muttered. "They  
  
seem to have found themselves some more. There certainly wasn't  
  
this many when we took them on at the shrine."  
  
The standoff seemed to be set to go on indefinitely, when they  
  
both heard a voice, from an outcrop of rocks at the northern edge of  
  
the clearing.  
  
"Enough, Saturn!" Hotaru turned. On the rock stood the High  
  
Priest of the temple shrine. Next to him, the local Governor.   
  
Hotaru and Usashin stared at them for several moments as the High   
  
Priest waved his hand. The ninjas backed away, following the silent  
  
order. Slowly, the High Priest stepped down from the rock, landing  
  
at the base. the Governor followed suit, with somewhat less   
  
successful results, falling flat on his face, quickly getting to his  
  
feet before the High Priest blew too much steam of aggravation from  
  
under his collar.  
  
"So, you have turned against the rightful rule of law, have  
  
you, Saturn?" The High Priest strode forward.  
  
"I make my own decisions, thankyou very much." Hotaru   
  
replied, darkly. "And I don't like your particular form of law."  
  
The High Priest chuckled. "Like it or not, we control this  
  
district. And maybe, soon, many others. Even with your immense  
  
powers, Saturn, do you really think you will be able to weed us all  
  
out?"  
  
Hotaru scowled at him as he snapped his fingers. From within  
  
the ranks of the ninjas, Umi and Setsuna were bundled forward.   
  
Hotaru felt sick as those who held them stuck the blades of their  
  
daggers up to the frightened girl's throats.  
  
"We may not be able to beat you fairly, Saturn. But nobody  
  
said one had to fight fairly."  
  
"You leave them alone. Let them go." Hotaru quivered.  
  
"Hotaru-oneechan..." Setsuna whimpered. Hotaru raised the  
  
Glaive threateningly.  
  
"This... this will be your one and only warning, scum. Touch  
  
a hair on the head of those girls, and... AND I WILL DESTROY THE  
  
WORLD!" Usashin stared at her, shaking her head. Even from this  
  
angle, the threat seemed empty.  
  
The High Priest laughed. "What? Destroy everything? I don't  
  
think so, somehow. Doing that would cost these girls their lives,  
  
and I don't believe you have it within you to do that."  
  
"Are you so sure?" Hotaru held up the Glaive, feeling power  
  
surging within her as she stared, angrily at the High Priest.  
  
The Governor grabbed the High Priest by the shoulder. "Hey,  
  
steady on.... You don't know what the hell she will do."  
  
"Shutup. I know what I am saying." The Priest shot back  
  
at him. The Governor stepped away, nervously.  
  
"We aren't going to leave without these girls, Saturn, dead  
  
or alive. Alive, their powers shall be of use to us. Dead, well,  
  
that is two less we have to concern ourselves with if they were to  
  
turn against us. Either way, it doesn't matter to us. All who  
  
stand in our way suffer the same fate."  
  
Hotaru wanted... she wanted so badly to let rip. But she  
  
couldn't. One look into the eyes of the girls dampened that fire  
  
almost as soon as it was lit. The High Priest laughed and tossed  
  
something onto the ground. Hotaru and Usashin stared at it.  
  
It was a red bow. A bloodied red bow, with dark hair still  
  
wrapped in it. Usashin recognised it immediately.  
  
"No... Kaorusagi...." She stepped forward. "What have you  
  
done to h..." Before she could go any further, three shuriken's   
  
flew from high above, and buried themselves in Usashin's chest.   
  
Hotaru watched in sickened horror as Usashin fell to her knees,   
  
putting a hand to her bleeding chest, finally turning to Hotaru,   
  
smiling.  
  
"Guess... its up to... you... now..."  
  
Then she fell to the ground, dead.  
  
"Usa-oneechaaaaaaan!" Hotaru could hear the girls crying as  
  
she shook her head.  
  
"D..Damn you!"  
  
"One final warning, Saturn. Try and stop us and we kill the  
  
girls." The High Priest waved at his troops and they started to  
  
back away. "We have what we came for. Do not try to stop us."  
  
Even as he was saying this, the light to the clearing was  
  
getting progressively darker. They looked up into the sky to see  
  
clouds gathering. Dark clouds. The Governor panicked.  
  
"Oooh Kami... You've just made her angrier."  
  
The High Priest gritted his teeth angrily. "SATURN! I'M   
  
WARNING YOU! CONTINUE WITH THIS AND THE GIRLS SHALL DIE!" He  
  
had to shout, now, becuase the rumbling that had been distant only  
  
seconds before was now becoming a deafening roar. He shivered as  
  
Hotaru's eyes went black, like empty pits. Her senshi uniform now  
  
lost its purple flourishing, and was totally black.  
  
She could see the girls, hear them, crying. "Hotaru-  
  
oneechan!" Setsuna bawled. She didn't want to do this. She didn't  
  
want to kill everything and everyone.... She wanted them to live.  
  
With them, she had a reason to live, as well....  
  
"You were warned, Saturn!" The High Priest gestured with his  
  
hand, and the dark fury watched as daggers were thrust into the   
  
throats and chests of the two young girls.  
  
Hotaru stared as the bleeding and dying bodies of the girls  
  
were dropped to the ground. The High Priest laughed. How could he  
  
laugh? How could someone laugh when they had just ordered two  
  
innocent children to be... To be... Setsuna and her sister had  
  
been...  
  
'D A R K N E S S E X O D U S!" She screamed at the top of  
  
her voice. The High Priest stared at her in disbelief.  
  
"Kill her! Quickly!" He pointed at Saturn, only moments  
  
before he, the Governor, their army of ninjas and the entire valley  
  
were engulfed in a flame of immense proportions....  
  
----o  
  
"We're lost." Petz sniffed as Karaberas stared at the map.  
  
"I'm sure this was the road that lead through to Itisu   
  
Village." She mumbled, staring over at Petz who sat at the steering  
  
wheel of their truck.  
  
"Your sense of direction has always been crap, lets face it."  
  
Beruche sniffed from the back seat, leaning against the ledge below  
  
the door window, staring into the valley.  
  
"I know where we're supposed to go, its just that, all these  
  
roads keep changing, and these maps are so dodgy." Karaberas   
  
huffed. Cooan leaned in from the back seat.  
  
"Wouldn't have been so bad had you bothered to buy a map from  
  
a reputable store."  
  
"It WAS a reputable store. How much more reputable can you go  
  
than the local shire council office?"  
  
Suddenly, Beruche let out a gasp. "What the heck..." She   
  
noticed the sky was suddenly becoming darker, clouds rolling in from  
  
nowhere, as black as the night sky. Her three sisters looked out  
  
through the windows and slunk back in their seats.  
  
"get us out of here, Petz." Cooan croaked. Petz nodded and  
  
started up the truck. It took several painful moments to select  
  
the right gear, and then she floored it.  
  
The truck trundled rapidly along the dirt road, away from the  
  
entrance to the valley. Suddenly, there was a flash of light behind  
  
them, and the truck was struck by a huge shockwave, causing Petz to  
  
veer it off the road, down into a small gully. She managed to stop  
  
the vehicle to a chorus of cries from her sisters, in which time a  
  
huge white flame flew overhead, missing them. As the flame   
  
dissipated, Petz managed to start the truck again and drove it back  
  
up to where the road had been.  
  
All that was left was an immense scorch, centered on the   
  
valley. The four sisters stared in disbelief at what they had just   
  
escaped.  
  
"Thats it." Beruche stammered. "Next town, I'm getting out  
  
of this travelling sales business.  
  
"What in Kami's name was THAT?" Karaberas finally managed to  
  
get out. Petz sighed.  
  
"I don't know.... Thermonuclear explosion owing to a plague   
  
of mice." Karaberas stared at her sister, dubiously.  
  
Suddenly, there was a flash in front of them. They let out  
  
short cries as three figures appeared before the truck. A young,  
  
dark-haired woman holding two young girls in her arms. They stared  
  
at them in shock, Cooan finally breaking their reverie by getting   
  
out of the truck.  
  
She approached the three figures cautiously, and could hear  
  
singing. Soft, almost inaudible lines of a traditional Japanese  
  
lullabye. Beruche followed her out as Petz and Karaberas stood by  
  
the truck.  
  
Cooan could see the two girls had bloodied clothes, and   
  
thought, for a moment, that they might be dead. But she could see  
  
no wounds on their bodies. They were breathing, alive, and   
  
sleeping.  
  
The soft singing came from the young woman, who was looking  
  
at the girls with distant eyes. Cooan stepped up and knelt before  
  
her.  
  
"Hello?" She reached forward and touched the young woman on  
  
the shoulder. Hotaru looked up at her and smiled.  
  
"Hello." She blinked a couple of times. "Shhh. They're  
  
asleep. They've had a rough day."  
  
"Haven't I seen you before?" Beruche asked from behind Cooan.  
  
Hotaru smiled at her.  
  
"I don't know if we've ever met in passing. But then, destiny  
  
has a strange way of forcing itself... into your life."  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
and again  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
END OF PART 18  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Notes  
  
Well, I can say now that SIU (Sailor Investigation Unit) is earning  
  
me more mail that UID. Not that that is a bad thing ^_^.  
  
This chapter tended to flow out in a very stop-start manner. One of  
  
the aspects of UID that HAD to be worked out before the conclusion  
  
was the redemption of the future Hotaru, and that was what brought  
  
this chapter into being. At first, I thought of leaving her dead,  
  
along with Setsuna and Naiad's new lives. But in the end, I   
  
couldn't bring myself to be that nasty.  
  
Next up, chapter 19, "Acrobatic Feats of Madness".  
  
DDFA darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
25th Feb 1998 


	19. Part 19: Acrobatic Feats of Madness

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 19  
  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so  
  
these characters really belong to them, except ones I made up. You  
  
know who they are! They're the ones that run around doing bad   
  
things to the original cast. ^_^ Well, most of them, anyway.  
  
This chapter suffered the amazing effects of MSCrash (tm) so it might   
  
be a bit patchy on bits where I've had to make repairs.  
  
Part Nineteen  
  
Acrobatic Feats of Madness  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Usako smiled, into infinity. Usashin was dead, but death was  
  
nothing to an Usagi. She knew this to be the case for a very long   
  
time.  
  
Usashin... Bring Hotaru back to me....  
  
The circle began to close.  
  
Aoi opened her eyes, and saw herself staring back. Stand, she   
  
commanded to herself, as she reached out. Slowly, her body rose and   
  
into her hands floated a red glowing sphere.  
  
"I guess..." She looked at herself. "This is some kind of  
  
parting gift?"  
  
"Responsibility..." Her doppleganger replied. "It's what   
  
I've never had, and what you might learn."  
  
"Why should I be any more responsible than the conciousness I  
  
formed from?"  
  
She answered herself with silence.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi woke, sitting on the lounge chair in the darkness. She   
  
turned when she heard a noise. Nothing there. She turned back.  
  
Pluto watched.  
  
Usagi wiped her chin. Drooling. So tired. Sitting alone  
  
within the revival room in the Keep. Alone. Why did they leave   
  
her? Why?  
  
She remembered those few moments... Where Millenia had put   
  
her through the torment of experiencing the visions... Similar  
  
visions to those she had planted in the mind of Setsuna... She  
  
threatened Millenia with suicide if she continued. The woman  
  
stopped, and placed a knife in her hands, and told her to.... go  
  
ahead.  
  
She looked on the floor beside the chair. A mirror there.   
  
She saw herself. She wondered who she really was.  
  
What am I here for? Is there really any definite individual   
  
named Tsukino Usagi. Will this person who is me simply die to make   
  
way for the wonderful, all-knowing, all-loving Princess Serenity?  
  
Her hair was no longer gold. White. No, not white, silver.  
  
Pure silver strands, glimmering in what little light could be seen,  
  
done up in those wonderful odangos that everyone had come to know  
  
and love.  
  
She looked at the knife in her hand. It smiled at her. She  
  
lifted it and viciously detached the odangos from her head. She'd  
  
never cut her hair off with a knife before. Considering the pain  
  
she endured because of it, it wasn't likely to be an event she would  
  
repeat.  
  
Pluto winced.  
  
Usagi watched as silver hair fell to the floor, some marked   
  
with patches of skin and blood. If the senshi wanted her dead, then   
  
they could claim her. She no longer cared. She would have, more   
  
than willingly, given up her place as Princess, if it meant she   
  
could live as a normal girl. Had they asked for her to step down,   
  
she would have said yes, as long as the friendship stayed. Now she   
  
was, once more, sitting within limbo.... No, she was alive now.   
  
She had to remember that. Now she was alive yet dead, and faced the   
  
biggest choice of her life.  
  
Who is to live, and who is to die, on the planet Earth. The  
  
decision meant her life, or her death.  
  
Mamo-chan.... If you are alive, and can hear me.... Please  
  
take my existence and cast it to the wind. Death would be more than  
  
a blessing than to have to make a choice like that presented to me  
  
by Galaxia.  
  
"Usagi..." Minako turned to her, smiling, sitting at the card  
  
table with Ami and VesVes. "Why don't you come and join us. Its  
  
more fun playing cards when there are more people involved."  
  
"Ah, ignore her. She doesn't know whether she wants to be   
  
alive or dead, yet." VesVes muttered. "Just cos the Starlights  
  
ripped her out of Galaxia's limbo and hatcheted that Mistral guy..."  
  
"No..." Said Ami. "It was Arachne that hatcheted Mistral.   
  
She used that cat-paw gun she got off Sailor Tin Nyanko, and turned  
  
him into pate' on the lobby walls. He and the remaining executive  
  
staff of the motel, as well as the local Governor and his entourage.  
  
I guess she got upset when she found out they were planning to usurp  
  
her little empire."  
  
"They never found Mistral's body. And that's the problem.   
  
Nobody knows where he ended up." VesVes flicked through her cards.  
  
"Oh well. At least they've got Arachne doing something, now.   
  
Out looking for the Anima-Mates, now they've been revived." Minako   
  
sighed. "Still... Galaxia was really cross when she found out   
  
Millenia was using her spiritual pocket to hide the souls of those   
  
she needed for her games."  
  
"Those games included us." VesVes stared at her cards,   
  
sighing. "I raise you ten."  
  
"No, we weren't ever part of a game. Millenia likes to   
  
believe she's playing a game with others. But in truth, she has  
  
become nothing more than a tool to destiny. I'll match your ten and  
  
raise you ten more." Ami shuffled betting pieces in her direction.   
  
"And now, what is Galaxia going to do?" Minako looked from  
  
Ami to VesVes. They just stared at each other.  
  
"She's going to sacrifice a newly regained principle. She's  
  
going to kill every living senshi in the universe." Ami shrugged.  
  
"You don't say." Minako looked impressed. "I'll match your   
  
twenty and raise you fifty."  
  
"You're kidding me?" Ami splurted. She shook her head when  
  
she regained her composure. "Ah, why did we have to die?"  
  
"We each had a choice. We chose what we felt was the better  
  
option." VesVes sniffed. "Although madness would have felt a warm  
  
and comfortable destiny to pursue. I think Usagi is pursuing it  
  
right now." She pointed over to Usagi, who was leaning over the   
  
armrests of the chair, drooling.  
  
"Ugh! She's at it again." Minako shook her head, sadly. "I  
  
would never have allowed myself to become like that."  
  
"You didn't. One of the reasons you died." Ami shook her   
  
head. "I'm matching your bet."  
  
Usagi liked the darkness of these walls. Even as Gaea and  
  
Ascentia approached her with food, she continued to be mesmerised  
  
by the blackness.  
  
"It looks like she's used the knife Millenia had given her."  
  
Ascentia said, almost without emotion. He looked away, sadly. Gaea  
  
stood beside Usagi, proffering a bowl of steaming food.  
  
"Usagi. Eat this. It's not too bad." She looked hopeful,   
  
but Usagi did not see her. She took a breath and placed the bowl on   
  
the ground, next to the chair. "Whenever you feel like it, then."   
  
She looked at Ascentia, who shrugged, and the two of them walked   
  
away.  
  
Silence descended upon Usagi once more, in the dark and empty  
  
room. Usagi began to hum a tune to herself, without thinking about   
  
it. Her thoughts were on events that occured just over a year ago,  
  
now... When Mamoru proposed to her....  
  
Her face slowly began to screw up with emotion.  
  
Pluto watched.  
  
----o  
  
The Cauldron sees all, and knows all, because all of what it   
  
is within is what it is without. It foresaw everything, and planned   
  
for everything.  
  
No single aspect or attitude or thought shall dominate because  
  
of it. When they try it destroys, even if it is unfair. It plays  
  
with the hearts and minds of living being for they are no more than  
  
an extension of its own will. Its power of will shall rule.  
  
But one aspect to its will could not be controlled. The   
  
aspects born from its very heart... From the very source of its own  
  
creation. They were The Four. And for all time they have been   
  
playing... toying... with others, like the universe was their   
  
personal themepark.  
  
But mostly two.... Galaxia, Queen of the light, the fire, the  
  
day, gilden brilliance and positivity. And Millenia, the darkness,  
  
the ocean, the night, blue luminescence and negativity. For so   
  
long, they have fought to remain in antithesis of each other. One  
  
living forever within a single body, the other preferring the   
  
ethereal life of a wandering spirit.  
  
Sooner or later, their fight was going to effect all. The   
  
cauldron had to find a way to stop that fight.  
  
"Its...."  
  
"Beautiful?" Galaxia suggested.  
  
"No, its a different emotion I feel. Awe, tinged with fear."  
  
"You are frightened to return to it. To the place from which  
  
we all evolved." Galaxia stepped closer to the glow, reaching out  
  
her hands. beams of light danced around those hands, and both she  
  
and Naru smiled in delight. "Yes... one day. We shall all  
  
return..."  
  
"Why you've always been obsessed with this notion, I have no   
  
idea." For some reason, Galaxia didn't seem surprised by the voice  
  
that emerged from the light of the Cauldron. She merely stepped   
  
back, smiling.  
  
"If I were the only one obsessed with it, why am I not the one  
  
utilising its powers for my purposes."  
  
"One does not utilise its powers. It utilises us."  
  
Naru wondered who the voice might have been, but in her heart  
  
of hearts, she knew. Slowly, waves of light descended from the main  
  
body of the cauldron, forming four figures.  
  
Naiad stood, taking her hands off the prone forms of Astute   
  
and Setsuna. The senshi still appeared out of sorts, and stayed on  
  
the walkway, groaning. Astute, however, sat up, staring around him   
  
blearily.  
  
Before them all lay the body of Usagi. She was still, and  
  
unconcious... A body devoid of its spirit. Naru's eyes boggled,  
  
and even Galaxia was forced to raise an eyebrow.  
  
"Perhaps you'd like to explain why you have brought these   
  
three with you?"  
  
Naiad smiled. "This one I have been protecting." She   
  
gestured to Astute. "For reasons both you and I know. The Princess  
  
Serenity." She pointed down at Usagi. "For reasons both you and I  
  
also know. And for the Sol Senshi of Pluto." She looked at the  
  
woman. "For her, as a gift, from a master to her protege'."  
  
"Protege'?" Galaxia looked at Pluto, who was now attempting  
  
to sit up herself. Naiad leant down and held her as she did so.  
  
Setsuna looked back at Naiad, whose form shimmered, to be  
  
replaced by the heavier, more exotic features of Millenia. Naru let  
  
out a short gasp.... This was not the Millenia she had seen,   
  
twisted, embittered and insane, within the fantasy world of the  
  
pool, but Millenia as she must have been in her early years.   
  
Millenia, tempered by time, tempered by Naiad.  
  
"P..Protege'...?" Setsuna gasped as Millenia stroked her face  
  
softly, nodding.  
  
"For six lives, we have been sisters. Now the time has come   
  
for my leaving, of this plane of existence. Someone must replace   
  
me, as the next Millenia."  
  
"Your arrogance is immense." Galaxia sneered. Millenia   
  
turned to her, smiling as if the comment was meant as a compliment.  
  
"Thankyou, Galaxia. Maybe you're just insulted that I have  
  
chosen to move on rather than return to this?" She gestured to the  
  
Cauldron.  
  
Even as she did this, she could see Astute standing, staring  
  
at Naru. She smiled as the effeminate young man with long white   
  
hair strode forward, and questioning hand outstretched. In fact,  
  
she was suppressing a laugh.  
  
"Na... Naru-chan?" He asked, almost pleadingly. Naru stared  
  
at him, trying to work out how Astute, someone for whom she had only  
  
met within the fantasy world of the pool, would know her by name.   
  
Both Galaxia and Millenia followed with amusement Astute's steps  
  
towards her. "Naru-chan...?"  
  
"Ha... Hai." She looked at him questioningly, and a little  
  
frightened at his earnest expression.  
  
"Naru-chan... Its me..." He stood before her. "You've grown  
  
beautiful... I.. I can't believe this is happening."  
  
And then a thought struck her.  
  
"Umino?"  
  
"Hai, Naru-chan?"  
  
Millenia couldn't hold it back, anymore. She burst out   
  
laughing, dropping Setsuna and rolling on the ground.  
  
"One would have thought she'd see that coming." Galaxia   
  
stared at the heavens.  
  
The whole world spun for Naru, and she fainted clear away into  
  
Astute's arms....  
  
----o  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
and again  
  
UAAFI OS FESD ISSGU IA DWAS HOP JIA HOP JOPRSY  
  
and again  
  
ISSGU IA DWAS UAAFI OS FESD GIO HUP GIO HIOEAT  
  
A bit higher, a bit faster, a bit deader....  
  
----o  
  
"Now, lets take a step back and pause for a moment to ponder   
  
the situation we now find ourselves in...." Starhealer smiled,   
  
wagging a finger at Usagi and Siren. "Do either of you have any   
  
idea, whatsoever, where we currently are?"  
  
"No."  
  
"No idea."  
  
She sighed. "Indeed, it would seem the both of you are as   
  
lost as one can possibly be. Dead, to say the least."  
  
"Well, I didn't expect to be up and kicking after the belting  
  
I received from Mercury." Usagi sniffed. "Did you know she buried  
  
me in the side of a building, and waited for me to peel off before  
  
finishing me for good?"  
  
"At least its more dramatic that being reduced to constituent  
  
materials because the only things keeping you alive have been torn  
  
from your wrists by an intergalactic psycho." Siren stuck her   
  
tongue out at Usagi.  
  
"Who's a psycho?" Starhealer blinked.  
  
"Galaxia, of course. Bloody bitch. I'd like to introduce her  
  
to a few walls, I can tell you." Siren punched a fist into her   
  
other hand.  
  
"Well, I don't suppose you'd like to accept her invitation   
  
back to life, now would you?"  
  
"EH?" Usagi and Siren stared at her.  
  
"That's why she sent us here. To collect you. Not that I  
  
entirely disagree with your perception of her." Starhealer smiled.  
  
Starmaker stepped into the room, staring around at the   
  
furnishings of the accomadation.  
  
"Whoo, nice for the price you paid. Pity none of it really  
  
exists. But then, neither does the money you used." She smiled as  
  
Starfighter stepped in after her, followed by Crow, Nyanko and   
  
Mouse. The three Animates looked thoughroughly chastised for some  
  
unknown reason.  
  
Usagi jumped up when she saw Starfighter. "Seiya!" She cried  
  
out. Starfighter smiled as Usagi threw her arms around her neck.   
  
The Animates stuck their tongue out at her as they stepped past.  
  
"Traitor." Nyanko muttered. Usagi turned to her and stuck  
  
her tongue out back at them.  
  
She noticed Starfighter was holding on to a rope, and lifted  
  
up the hand holding it. "What's this?" She looked at him   
  
questioningly. The followed the length of the rope out through the  
  
door with her eyes.  
  
"This?" Starfighter looked down at the rope. "Ah, well..."  
  
She gave the rope a tug, and there were complaining grunts from the  
  
other side of the doorway. Slowly, a woman stepped through the  
  
doorway, the rope tied around her neck.  
  
"No need to pull so hard. I'm walking, okay?"  
  
"Well, I just needed to make sure, 'Madame Scorpia'."   
  
Starfighter chuckled. Usagi stared at the woman.  
  
"THIS is Madame Scorpia?"  
  
"Yep." Starmaker dropped her hand on the woman's shoulder.  
  
"She was running amok through her hotel, using one of Nyanko's guns  
  
against her senior staff and the entourage of the local Governor.  
  
Not a pretty sight."  
  
"I told you. I have my scruples. I don't like slave-  
  
trading." Scorpia looked aside, darkly as Starmaker snorted.  
  
"Yeah, but killing a few hundred people don't seem to matter  
  
much to you."  
  
"Better to die on your feet than live on your knees." Scorpia  
  
leered in Starmaker's direction. "Hey, guess what? I came up with  
  
that line! Cool, ne? Everyone's been claiming credit for it   
  
since."  
  
Starfighter sighed and turned to Usagi, handing Starmaker the  
  
rope. "Odango, will you come with me for a moment?" She put out   
  
her hand. Usagi nodded and the pair of them stepped through the   
  
door, watched by the rest.  
  
Starmaker turned to the Animates. "Now, as for you guys,  
  
since Galaxia is one of those who plan ahead, your real bodies are  
  
scattered to the four winds.... In short, your homeworlds. You're  
  
going to have to be woken by someone." Starmaker turned to Scorpia.  
  
"I wonder who, 'Madame Scorpia'? Or should I call you the Lady  
  
Arachne?" She smiled as Arachne growled at her.  
  
----o  
  
"You can't escape the decision, Serenity. The world shall end  
  
within minutes. It is only the differential of time on this world  
  
that gives you the opportunity to think about it." Galaxia said to  
  
Usagi as she hung her head over the side of the chair. "But time  
  
is time, Usagi. As Princess of that world, you must decide."  
  
"Too many people to decide for. Too many I care for."  
  
"Do you wish to die again? For good this time. The only way  
  
you can continue to live is by making that decision. I cannot   
  
maintain the lifeforce required to keep both yourself and your body   
  
together."  
  
"Thinking about it."  
  
"Don't think for too long. Time is not an infinite resource  
  
that can be abused by all."  
  
Mamo-chan....  
  
Pluto watched, and thought.  
  
----o  
  
Hotaru sat in the rear seat of the Ayakashi sister's truck,   
  
arms folded around the sleeping bodies of the young Setsuna and Umi,  
  
who lay over her lap. There was a distant expression in her eyes as  
  
she watched them.  
  
Cooan and Beruche had helped her into the truck. Had it not   
  
been for them, Hotaru may very well have remained in a catatonic   
  
state, sitting on what remained of the road that ran past the   
  
opening of what remained of the valley. The pair had managed to  
  
get a few words out of her, but little else.  
  
Karaberas suggested that she and the girls be deposited at the  
  
medical centre when they reached the next town. However, Hotaru was  
  
less than enthusiastic about this idea, saying something about there  
  
being people who would chase them to get the girls back.  
  
Cooan had checked the girls over, when she'd managed to pry  
  
them from Hotaru's grasp after a bit of convincing on Beruche's part  
  
that no harm would come to them. Despite their torn and bloodied  
  
clothing, they were totally unmarked. Yet, for some reason, she  
  
knew the blood was theirs, their state of slumber as much brought on  
  
as an automatic response to shock and stress.  
  
It was only after Beruche had guided Hotaru into the car that  
  
she informed them that she was Black Saturn. Petz had to hold   
  
Karaberas from taking off. Karaberas didn't like the concept of  
  
getting into senshi business again, especially THIS senshi.  
  
And then they were attacked. Two combat-equipped choppers  
  
flew over and started firing away at them. It was more luck than  
  
anything else that they managed to get into their truck and take   
  
off.  
  
Cooan and Beruche looked through the rear window... Their  
  
vision partially obscured by the trailer, but the choppers were  
  
still back there, keeping a distant watch on their movements. Had  
  
they still had the powers bestowed upon them by the Family, they  
  
might have been able to do something about it. They wished Hotaru  
  
would try and do something about it, but she was gone for all money.  
  
They needed help.  
  
----o  
  
Arachne looked up from the main street in the capital of Chuu.  
  
her companions followed her vision as an Interplanetary shuttle took  
  
off from the city's spaceport, destined for one of the navigational  
  
stations.  
  
Arachne had spent some time on Chuu, as per the order of   
  
Starmaker. Since the world had resumed a kind of peace, it had  
  
been a pleasurable experience. Well, for everyone except Nyanko,  
  
who seemed to go into strange mewling fits every time a Chuukian  
  
would walk past. Since this was the main street, she was in a right  
  
state. Siren muttered to Crow something about the psychological  
  
fragility of those who originated from Mau.  
  
Of course, the order originated from Galaxia... To collect   
  
the four Animates from their homeworlds, then to make their way back   
  
to Earth using snail transport. Not for them the pleasures of   
  
Sailor Teleport. She didn't know why, but she did know something   
  
was about to happen there of great import. She closed her eyes as   
  
visions of her kind dying en masse ran through her mind.  
  
"Arachne-sama?" Mouse tugged at the sleeve of her Miko gown.  
  
Arachne turned to her, smiling.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"You look kinda weird. Is anything wrong?"  
  
"No, I'm just thinking of the dead."  
  
----o  
  
Jupiter thought she'd run enough to get away from the Youma.  
  
She stopped and bent down, resting her hands on her knees, puffing  
  
heavily. For some reason, she didn't think the Youma was following   
  
her, but it was worth the effort to make sure.  
  
She stood and closed her eyes. Her head was still hurting,  
  
and she reached back to touch what remained of the wound inflicted  
  
upon her by the Youma. Nothing. Nothing at all. It was as if the  
  
Youma's energy bolt had never existed. It was as if the horrifying  
  
sensation that she'd been brain-damaged was her imagination. The  
  
sudden loss of control, the creeping blackness.... She gritted her  
  
teeth, trying to put it from a mind that had been regenerated.  
  
She turned when she heard something.  
  
"USAKO! GET DOWN FROM THERE!" It was Aosagi's voice. The  
  
Usagi ninja was tiredly climbing up a pile of stones which had once  
  
been a multi-storey building before the Destroyers had taken to it.  
  
At the top of the pile, she could see Usako, reaching upwards. And  
  
above her, the tendrils of the Eternal City, reaching down.  
  
What the hell was that girl doing? Jupiter took a few steps  
  
forward, when she suddenly felt them no longer biting ground. She  
  
looked down to see a gaping hole underneath her, leading to a   
  
swirling vortex. After a few abortive attempts to fly by flapping  
  
her arms, she fell into the vortex, crying for her life....  
  
----o  
  
"Even now, without you realising it, Serenity, you are   
  
choosing the fates of those closest to you." Millenia leaned   
  
forward, staring into her face. The woman's long, dark hair and  
  
deep blue eyes contributed to her being like a shadow, draining all  
  
light from Usagi. Behind Millenia, Galaxia, Gaea and Ascentia   
  
stood, watching.  
  
"Leave me alone." Usagi curled up into a ball, frightened by  
  
the closeness of the woman. Millenia stood back and shrugged.  
  
"You have the knife. You can make things worse by using it on  
  
yourself. I'm not going to let you drain the lifeforce of the four  
  
of us for much longer."  
  
Pluto thought. She no longer wanted to be a pawn to these   
  
four. But what could she do?  
  
----o  
  
Unagi sat on the ground, her face covered with drying tears.  
  
Maisagi and Sae rested hands on her shoulders.  
  
"We were together ever since we were created.... And then one  
  
day she just up and left me.... I dunno why. I guess I might have  
  
teased her once too often.... But it was.... She didn't deserve to  
  
die that way." Unagi's face dropped, and Maisagi sighed.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry for what happened to Lina, but we can't sit  
  
here forever. if what you say is going to happen is true, then we  
  
have to do something. Find shelter of some description...."   
  
Maisagi looked around. They were up against a fence on the side of  
  
a school oval. "You said something about some guy with a basement  
  
he was going to give shelter to a pack of us Usagis."  
  
"Yeah. Dunno where he is now. He took off with that dumb  
  
Ushayla girl who latched onto me when we fell into this place."  
  
Maisagi nodded. "Very well... We'll try to find him, then."  
  
Maisagi reached forward and took Unagi by the arm to help her up  
  
when she noticed Sae was staring at something. "Sae? What is it?"  
  
Sae pointed behind Maisagi. "Th..th...th...th..." She   
  
couldn't get the words out. Maisagi and Unagi turned to see a kind  
  
of portal... A doorway. As they got to their feet, they could see  
  
a desolate valley, covered in saltbush. Running across the saltbush  
  
was a single dirt track. In the distance a vehicle was kicking up   
  
dust.  
  
Without thinking about it, they stepped through the portal,   
  
and found themselves in another time....  
  
----o  
  
"Give me back Naru and Umino!" Usagi watched as Galaxia  
  
consulted with Gaea and Ascentia. Millenia, skulking some distance  
  
away, burst out in laughter.  
  
"You can't have them back, Serenity. Not after all I've been  
  
through to retrieve Gaea and Ascentia."  
  
The two in question stepped forward. Gaea spoke. "I'm sorry,  
  
Usagi. I'm afraid I've accepted my past. Perhaps you would like to  
  
accept yours?"  
  
"Why? Why have you so meekly accepted? What have you seen...  
  
experienced... to make you want to accept?"  
  
"The truth." Ascentia said, simply. "Millenia spent several  
  
of her namesake searching for us. Now she has finally caught up  
  
with our spirits... Surely, you aren't going to take away from her  
  
the prize that she most seeks?"  
  
"What control does she have over the two of you?"  
  
"None at all." Gaea snapped. "We have seen within the   
  
Cauldron. We now know why we have taken this journey through these  
  
lives, and why, Usagi... Serenity... Why we were once friends, and  
  
why I had to become involved... in your death."  
  
Pluto closed her eyes and shivered, then came to a decision,  
  
waiting for the quartet to leave the stunned Usagi alone.  
  
Setsuna watched as Millenia ran her hands through the light of  
  
the Cauldron. Slowly, its mist swirled around them all. Setsuna   
  
had been within its depths, as had Astute... Umino, of all people.   
  
Even she had not expected that to be the case. But then, her future  
  
vision, ever since these events began, had been shafted by the one   
  
who called her her sister.  
  
The light surrounded them all, as Astute and Naru watched it  
  
approach with fear. She already felt the sensation of pleasure,   
  
warmth and safety that existed within. And she despised those   
  
traps. The desire to return to this womb was only an allusion to a  
  
desire for death.  
  
But the Cauldron already knew this, and told her so, when it  
  
explained to her what must be done, its energies curing her of her  
  
wounds.  
  
And that was nothing compared to what it did to Naru and   
  
Umino.  
  
----o  
  
Mamoru held Chibiusa's hand as the two raced through the   
  
streets.... It was obvious that the Youma was on their heels.   
  
There were buildings collapsing behind them... And Mamoru began to  
  
wonder if there was anyone left within the city capable of being  
  
injured by the Youma's monumental irresponsibility.  
  
"Mamo-chan... I can't... go much... further..." Chibiusa  
  
managed to get out. It was obvious to him that her control over the  
  
4P Eternal Sailormoon body was less than optimal right at this time.  
  
He wondered what was wrong.... The event of not long ago where it  
  
seemed the body was rejecting her....  
  
Chibiusa staggered, and fell to the ground, letting go of  
  
Mamoru's hand.  
  
----o  
  
Misagi had, somehow, managed to lift the injured Jadeite to  
  
his feet, aided by Mars who, despite her newfound blindness, still  
  
seemed to be in relatively good physical shape. The mind was a  
  
different story.  
  
"Turn left here." Misagi said as they reached a corner. She  
  
had searched for somewhere where they could shelter. The sky was a  
  
deep, dark red, and looked as if it were about to fall on top of   
  
them. Despite her earlier feelings about not caring whether she  
  
lived or died, she thought it might be better to put on a show of  
  
trying to survive. Jadeite seemed particularly enamoured of this  
  
concept.  
  
"The library..." He coughed. "It has... a basement. I know.  
  
I used it... as a base of... operations... once. Should do us... as  
  
a shelter." Misagi nodded as he half pointed to the building. She  
  
looked over at Mars, who was sightlessly staring, drooling from the  
  
corners of her mouth. Her mind had had all it could take.  
  
Slowly, they made their way across the empty road, into the  
  
courtyard in front of the library, when Mars stopped, almost causing  
  
Jadeite to fall. She dropped to her knees, holding her throat.  
  
"Mars?" Misagi and Jadeite watched as she shivered and   
  
choked. She then got to her feet and tried to run away. Jadeite  
  
fought Misagi off and staggered after her. Mars didn't get very   
  
far, running into a wall. She fell backwards, her back arched.   
  
Misagi noticed, with some concern, that little flames were   
  
flickering on the edge of her hair, fingers and toes. Jadeite knelt  
  
beside her, trying to lift her up.  
  
"Get away from me..." She hissed, angrily. Jadeite stared at  
  
her in shock.  
  
"Mars..." He stammered. "What's wro..."  
  
That was all he could say before the pair were enveloped in a  
  
fireball. In a fraction of a second, all of Mars's fire energies  
  
escaped her body in a concentrated explosion. Misagi felt no heat  
  
as the flame died away in a second. On the ground lay nothing more   
  
than a small collection of dust where the pair had been.  
  
Bummer, thought Misagi. She didn't think about it for long as  
  
portions of the sky really started to fall. She looked up to see   
  
the Eternal City was breaking away from its footholds within the   
  
alternate universe. Immediately, she made her way to the front   
  
entrance of the library.  
  
----o  
  
Pluto shivered as she felt the wailing spirit of Jadeite lose  
  
touch with Mars.... Not for the first time in many existences.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi was alone again, noticing, at the card table, that Rei   
  
had joined her compatriots in their little card game.  
  
Pluto appeared, and she looked up at her.  
  
"P...Pluto?"  
  
"I'm sorry about this, Princess." She smiled, and held out  
  
the Time Key to Usagi. She stared at it for a few moments.  
  
"Why are you..."  
  
"I said to you before, when I brought you back to life, that  
  
there was only one person capable of dealing with the Youma. They  
  
think, that by allowing events to go ahead as they are, they will  
  
succeed. But they are wrong. Both Galaxia and Millenia have   
  
misplanned everything. The Youma is not that weak." She chuckled.  
  
"Their mistake, I'm afraid. They're playing off each other rather  
  
than thinking things through, clearly. Galaxia reckons that, by   
  
doing something horrible, she can force Millenia to do the right  
  
thing and fix the situation she created."  
  
"What must I do?"  
  
"Use the Time Key. Transport the Ginzuishou here. It is the  
  
source of the Youma's powers. Without it, the Youma shall die."   
  
She smiled at Usagi, then shook her head, sadly. "Millenia...   
  
Naiad... In the end, even if she regarded me as her protege', or   
  
her sister, depending on your point of view, she only really needed   
  
me as a cog in the machinery of her plans... I failed to protect   
  
you, and instead killed you. I won't be able to live with that kind   
  
of guilt." Pluto leaned down, pressing the Time Key into Usagi's   
  
lap, kissing her on the forehead. Then she stood, leaving the staff   
  
behind.   
  
For a few moments, Usagi looked down at the Time Key,   
  
wondering what she could do with it, when she noticed the knife she   
  
had been holding was missing.She looked up to see Pluto smiling at   
  
her, holding the knife to her throat. "Pluto... DON'T!" Usagi   
  
tried to stand, but it was too late. Pluto closed her eyes and   
  
plunged the knife into the right side of her throat, tearing   
  
downwards into the left side of her chest. Blood spewed over Usagi   
  
as Pluto slowly collapsed backwards. But even before she hit the   
  
ground, her body evaporated, into a fine mist that floated through   
  
the air. The blood that covered Usagi did likewise.  
  
"Pluto..." She muttered. "You're a fool. Why did you leave  
  
me alone, here, with them...."  
  
"Hmm... Interesting." Mused Minako. "I put my money on  
  
Galaxia." She turned to her three partners. "What do you think?"  
  
"I think Usagi might have a few tricks up her sleeve, yet."  
  
Rei shrugged. Ami shook her head.  
  
"You're both wrong. It's Millenia who is arranging all of  
  
this."  
  
VesVes stopped making castles out of her cards. "Ah well,  
  
whatever the case may be, the Cauldron always wins.... Why, even  
  
now, the future is shaping up to be rather interesting."  
  
----o  
  
Petz stared at the trio of Usagis, unable to believe her   
  
eyes. "Where in hell did they come from? They're in our bloody  
  
way!" She hit the brakes as Unagi and Maisagi stood on the road,  
  
holding out their hands in an arrogant gesture to stop the truck.  
  
Sae, for her part, was hiding behind them, praying for dear life.  
  
The truck ground to a halt only feet away from them, and  
  
Petz stuck her head out of the window, her face red in anger.  
  
"We don't have time for this bullshit, you stupid bimbos. Get  
  
outta our way or we'll all be dogmeat." Unagi and Maisagi stared  
  
at each other.  
  
"Well of all the nerve." Maisagi sniffed.  
  
"All we wanted was a lift, and some idea where we might   
  
be." Unagi huffed and looked aside. At that point, the choppers  
  
roared over, making Sae pull her wide-brimmed witch's hat hard   
  
over her head and whimper.  
  
"Oh Kami. That's bad news. I can see it now. They're not  
  
here to give us a friendly welcome, I can see it now." She   
  
muttered as Unagi and Maisagi turned, the choppers rotating to   
  
face them.  
  
They were black and unmarked, with darkened windows, and   
  
were lined with high-explosive head gattling guns. Unagi,   
  
unimpressed, turned to Petz as Karaberas began to pray for divine  
  
intervention, and Cooan and Beruche ducked beneath the back seat,  
  
dragging Hotaru and the two girls with them.  
  
"Is this all you are worried about?" Unagi began to laugh.  
  
Everyone cowered from the hideously evil strains. Petz watched  
  
with facefaulted surprise as the two choppers began circling   
  
wildly, exclamations of shock and horror at Unagi's mirth coming  
  
from within. Eventually, they struck each other, the rotor   
  
blades slicing into one another. They fell to the ground and  
  
exploded.  
  
"BAH!" Unagi put her hands on her hips. "Take that, you  
  
villainous fiends, for I am Unagi the Serpent. My laugh comes  
  
from total confidence in my ability to dominate all. Mere   
  
machines of war are nothing against me." And she began to laugh  
  
again, shortly before Maisagi started to throttle her.  
  
----o  
  
"I see what you mean." Ami nodded, and stood. "But I  
  
think things need to be pushed along, slightly, don't you?"  
  
Rei, Minako and VesVes hmmmed, and Ami disappeared.  
  
----o  
  
"Chibiusa! Get up! Chibiusa!" Mamoru tried to lift   
  
Chibiusa from the ground, but the girl had started sobbing   
  
uncontrollably. "What the hell is wrong with you? Get UP!"  
  
"..Can't, anymore..." She began to choke on her own sobs.  
  
"What is wrong with you?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Mamo-chan. All this... Its all our fault."  
  
"What is?"  
  
"We killed her... It was we who killed Usagi..."  
  
He stared at her for a moment, not knowing what to say or  
  
believe. "When the Youma said... When she said you had..."  
  
"We did it. We killed her because she was going to kill   
  
us. And... And for other reasons, I came back through time to  
  
make sure it happened."  
  
He grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up. "How...  
  
How could you do that? Why would she try to kill you?"  
  
"Mamo-chan..." Chibiusa stared into Mamoru's eyes,   
  
frightened. "We saw it, in visions. Puu showed us... She   
  
killed us all, one by one.... It was.. It was.."  
  
"Don't make excuses with me." Mamoru gritted his teeth and  
  
threw Chibiusa on the ground. "Are you trying to beg me for  
  
forgiveness?" He thought for a few moments. "Pluto brought her  
  
back to life, didn't she?" He growled at her, threatening an   
  
answer.  
  
"I don't know... It..." Mamoru had had enough, shaking his   
  
head.  
  
"Shutup! I have nothing more to say to you. I must find  
  
Usagi-chan before it is too late."  
  
Chibiusa stared at him. "What did you say to me?"  
  
"You heard me. Fend for yourself. You might be my daughter,  
  
but that doesn't mean I'll forgive you for this."  
  
Chibiusa gritted her teeth, angrily. "You understand nothing.  
  
You don't understand WHY I came back. You don't know what I was   
  
told by Mama!" She managed to get to her feet.  
  
"Too right I understand nothing. If you killed Usagi, then  
  
what am I supposed to do, cheer her passing?" He put on a mock  
  
cheerful voice. "Usagi is dead, Usagi is dead, hip hip hip hooray!"  
  
He spat contemptuously. "I worried about you. I cared for you. I  
  
loved you, because you were my daughter to be, and you repay me by  
  
doing this... Wait a moment, if you kill Usagi, then who the hell  
  
is your mother?"  
  
Chibiusa's face ran with tears. "Usagi isn't my mother."  
  
Mamoru stared at her.  
  
"Tuxedo Kamen-sama!" He turned to the voice, realising that   
  
it was Uranus's. Over a small hillock in an adjoining park, he   
  
could see her racing towards him, followed by the three remaining  
  
Asteroid senshi and Neptune.  
  
"Were they involved, too?" He stared at Chibiusa.  
  
"What do you think, Mister Perfect? You who were trapped for  
  
five years, according to your time, in another world."  
  
"Dreaming only of GETTING BACK!"  
  
They both heard a cry and turned back to the approaching   
  
senshi. Neptune had fallen to her knees, clutching at her throat,  
  
looking fearfully around her. Uranus came to a dead halt, looking  
  
back.  
  
"Neptune?" She slowly made to backtrack, as Neptune reached  
  
out to her, her arm quivering.  
  
"Uranus...." She gasped. "H... Help me..."  
  
To everyones' shock, Neptune exploded in a spray of water,   
  
which flowed over the ground, seeping into the soil. Uranus let out  
  
a strangulated cry as she ran to where Neptune had been standing.  
  
"Hell... Now the elemental laws governing the two dimensions  
  
are collapsing." Ceres gritted her teeth. "If we don't do   
  
something, quick, we'll all end up like that."  
  
There was a gasping noise beside Ceres, and she turned to   
  
Juno, who had placed a hand on her chest.  
  
Uranus tore at the ground, where Neptune had been, tears   
  
running from her eyes. "Where is she, what has happened to her?"  
  
She tried to cup what water she could find from the ground.   
  
"Michiru..."  
  
Juno grabbed hold of Ceres, staring at her in fear. Pallas  
  
stood back, shaking her head. "No no no..."  
  
Juno exploded in a blast of earth and sand. Ceres fell back  
  
as the particles struck her. Pallas also fell back, trying to  
  
scrabble away from what remained of her comrade as if it would save  
  
her. "J... Juno!" She rasped.  
  
Mamoru stepped away from Chibiusa, disbelievingly. "What the  
  
hell is going on?"  
  
"They're dying!" Chibiusa shouted at him. "Everyone is   
  
dying. Don't you get it? One way or another, this is Usagi's   
  
fault. Don't you get it? Everything began with her dying! Now she  
  
is getting back at us all."  
  
"Shutup! Usagi is dead."  
  
"No she isn't! She's out there, somewhere. If not in the   
  
Youma, then in spirit. She's taking her revenge out on us all.   
  
She'll kill you, too."  
  
"SHUTUP!"  
  
Uranus stared at the muddied waters in her hands, slowly   
  
allowing it to run between her fingers. "Michiru." She said,   
  
softly. "Gomen..." She fell onto her face, holding the lawn in her  
  
hands.  
  
Ceres tried to stand, watching Pallas who was now clutching at  
  
her chest in fear. "Oh Kami, we're all gonna die..." Pallas tried  
  
to stand, but began to cough and choke.  
  
Haruka also started to cough and hack. Ceres looked from one  
  
to the next, wondering why she hadn't started, yet. She reached for  
  
the ground underneath her, to push herself up, but felt nothing.   
  
For a few seconds, she panicked, wondering why she wasn't falling,   
  
as she stared down into a swirling vortex. A hole had opened up  
  
beneath her, and she was only just perched on the sides.  
  
Slowly, she tried to lever herself up, when there was an   
  
explosion of rushing air as Uranus disappeared. The blast dislodged  
  
Ceres foothold, and she fell, screaming, into the vortex, the hole  
  
closing behind her.  
  
"Ceres!" Pallas reached forward, clutching onto her chest.   
  
She got to her feet and stepped over to where Ceres had been. She  
  
knelt and scrabbled on the ground, trying to find her comrade.  
  
Nothing. But ground.  
  
Mamoru ran forward to where Pallas was sprawled, on her hands  
  
and knees, when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand. He  
  
turned and looked behind Chibiusa.  
  
Not too far a distance away stood the Youma, staring down from  
  
the top of a damaged building at the unfolding events. But there   
  
was no smile on her face. She was panting heavily, her face   
  
glistening with sweat. He knew, instinctively, why.  
  
"The Ginzuishou...." She reached forward. "Give it back...   
  
to me...." Her right arm began to quiver.  
  
----o  
  
Millenia frowned as she stepped up to Usagi, noticing the girl  
  
was now holding the Time Key. "Where is Pluto?" She asked simply.  
  
Galaxia, Gaea and Ascentia stood behind her.  
  
"What's wrong? Is this not part of your great and holy plan?"  
  
Galaxia chuckled. Millenia turned to her, eyes burning with blue-  
  
hot hatred.  
  
Usagi clutched the Time Key, sinking deeper into her chair,  
  
staring up at Millenia.  
  
----o  
  
Starfighter and Usagi stepped through a portal and found   
  
themselves in the Revival Room. Off to one side sat Aoi. The pair  
  
of them stepped up to her, as there didn't seem to be anyone else.  
  
In her hand, she was clutching a red sphere. Starfighter  
  
looked down at the sphere, then up at Aoi, who was looking off into  
  
space. "Where is Galaxia?" She demanded.  
  
"Right here." They both turned, to see Galaxia standing in   
  
the doorway to the room, flanked by Millenia, Gaea and Ascentia.  
  
Behind them, Pluto watched.  
  
Galaxia stepped up to Usagi, and it was then that Usagi   
  
realised she was naked.  
  
"Iyaa! Galaxia no ecchi!" Usagi fell to the floor, covering  
  
important areas of her body with her hands.  
  
"Well, I think you can say we've successfully planted her soul  
  
into her body. But for how long remains a question to be answered."   
  
She looked up at Starfighter. "Now, my fine friend. What to do   
  
next...."  
  
----o  
  
"Saturn..." Hotaru raised her head to the soft voice. She   
  
seemed to be alone with the two girls in the back of the truck, now.  
  
The others were picking over the remains of the choppers. She held  
  
on to the sleeping girls protectively and closed her eyes.  
  
"Saturn, listen to me..."  
  
"Who is there?"  
  
In her mind, she saw Usashin appear. The samurai Usagi smiled  
  
at her. "We meet again."  
  
"Under very different circumstances. Did both Kaorusagi and  
  
yourself know you were about to die?"  
  
Usashin shrugged. "With my lifestyle, anything was possible."   
  
She smiled. "I have something to tell you. Something that is VERY   
  
important."  
  
----o  
  
The Youma staggered forward, brushing past Chibiusa, her   
  
quivering right arm flailing in the air as Mamoru stepped back from  
  
her.  
  
"The Ginzuishou.... Give it to me."  
  
"You're going to have to fight for it, you imposter."  
  
The Youma snarled, drooling.  
  
----o  
  
Usako felt herself grabbed by Aosagi. The ninja Usagi stared  
  
up at her, pleadingly.  
  
"Do you know what will happen if you touch it?" Aosagi said,   
  
breathlessly. Usako looked down at her.  
  
"It is the only way."  
  
At the base of the rubble they stood on, Hotaru flashed into  
  
existence. "Where the hell am I now?" She stared at her   
  
surroundings, then noticed she was no longer carrying the Time Key.   
  
Nor was she in Pluto's colours, anymore. "Hoi, I'm Saturn again."  
  
"So it would appear." She heard the voice to her left,   
  
turning to face Usashin, who stood, looking up at the summit of the  
  
mount. she turned and followed her gaze.  
  
"What on Earth is happening? Why are they up there?"  
  
"Usako is attempting to make contact with the City."  
  
"But that'll create a link between the two dimensions..."  
  
"Indeed." Usashin turned to her, grimly.  
  
Hotaru jumped on the spot. "Pluto... I've got to find her.  
  
I was with her only seconds ago..."  
  
"You might not have the opportunity."  
  
----o  
  
Just at that moment, millions of figures appeared, surrounding  
  
the city of Tokyo. Senshi, Miko and others from almost as many   
  
worlds. And they began to chant, and pray, floating in a perfect  
  
circle, their energies folding inward and outward.  
  
Amongst them, the three Starlights, doing as they were bidded,  
  
even if it were against their will.  
  
Galaxia was about to commit her atrocity. Millenia wasn't   
  
going to stand for it.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi watched as the three Starlights were dispatched to who  
  
knows where.... And she had a sneaking suspicion why. Galaxia   
  
smiled as Sentinel found her a gown which to wear.  
  
"There, do we feel better, now?"  
  
"What have you done with them?" Usagi stared at her. Galaxia  
  
smiled as Millenia studied Aoi, in the corner of the room. Aoi   
  
shrank away from Millenia, surprising the woman.  
  
"I have sent them to where they shall be needed."  
  
"You forced them to. You took over their minds and forced   
  
them to go."  
  
"Well, sometimes we have to make sacrifices." Galaxia smiled.  
  
Millenia turned to her, frowning, then looked at Pluto. The  
  
senshi was staring through a window at the millions of revived   
  
senshi and miko, who were disappearing in flashes of light, being  
  
transported to Kami knows where.  
  
So, Galaxia, she thought to herself. Going to try to play my  
  
game against me, are you? She reached forward, towards Pluto, and  
  
whispered a soft chant.  
  
Let the game commence....  
  
Millenia stood to one side, staring into space as Galaxia  
  
laughed at her. "What is wrong, Millenia? Did one of your plans   
  
not quite turn out the way you expected?"  
  
Galaxia patted Usagi on the head as the girl gripped the Time  
  
Key harder between her hands. Without the others realising it, she  
  
had closed her eyes and was whispering.  
  
Millenia stared at Galaxia. "I don't expect you to understand  
  
the feelings I held for Pluto. Six lives, we have been sisters. I  
  
made those six lives occur because I wanted to know what it felt   
  
like to describe someone as 'family'."  
  
"Then, Millenia, I dare suggest your protege' learnt   
  
altogether too much from you."  
  
Millenia turned away, smiling. "Yes, perhaps she did. And  
  
you might be surprised by how effective she was in her final   
  
moments." Galaxia frowned, cocking her head to one side.  
  
----o  
  
The Youma closed in on Mamoru as he stepped up onto the grass  
  
rise, next to Pallas, who was holding onto her left arm as it slowly  
  
seeped away into a puddle on the ground. He staggered slightly, and   
  
the Ginzuishou fell from the pocket within his cloak and rolled down   
  
towards the Youma.  
  
Mamoru saw this, and leapt forwards, grabbing it, just as the  
  
Youma made for it. For a second, they stared eye to eye. There was   
  
a desperate expression in her eyes... And Mamoru began to   
  
understand the sense of betrayal she must have felt.  
  
"Mamo-chan... Come to me..." He heard, in his mind. Usagi's  
  
voice. Usagi's REAL voice. He pushed the Youma back and turned to  
  
the sky.  
  
"Usa..."  
  
And then he vanished, along with the Ginzuishou, into thin   
  
air. The Youma blinked, then let out a loud cry of frustration.  
  
----o  
  
Hotaru managed to leap up the side of the mount, holding   
  
Usashin, who appeared exhausted by her efforts in escaping the   
  
Youma.  
  
And then she slipped and fell, about three quarters the way   
  
up. Something had just flashed into her mind....  
  
Usashin grabbed hold of one of the rocks and watched with   
  
sickened futility the sight of Saturn thumping against the rocks on   
  
her way down, as if unconcious.  
  
Hotaru watched herself hitting the ground, wincing. "Hey,   
  
I remember this..." She turned to Usashin in surprise. The spirit of   
  
the samurai Usagi shook her head.  
  
"There was nothing I could do. I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be. It was more or less my fault for choosing to   
  
communicate with myself at this point."  
  
Hotaru sprawled on the ground, groaning. "Oww... Get out of  
  
my head, whoever you are...."  
  
"Now now now, lets not be hasty about this."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"You, you wally."  
  
Hotaru raised her head, painfully. "Why do I have a sense of  
  
deja vu about this?" Hotaru laughed at herself.  
  
"It hasn't happened to you, yet. That's about five years   
  
away, or ten, by your calendar."  
  
"What do you mean, by my calendar?"  
  
"Now listen." Hotaru paused. "Any moment now, you're going   
  
to have a visitor who shall try to kill Usako. You must NOT let it  
  
happen. Usako must succeed in making contact with the City."  
  
"What do you mean? If she does that...."  
  
"If she does that, she'll make a contact point with the two  
  
dimensions, I know.... But the contact shall not destroy as is   
  
expected to happen."  
  
"What will happen then?"  
  
"Listen, you 14 year old brat, just do as I tell you! The  
  
future of both the Kingdom and the Human race depends on it."  
  
"How do I know you are who you say you are?"  
  
"Would you like me to recount the story about the electric   
  
toothbrush?" Hotaru decided she'd heard enough.  
  
"Very well. What must I do against this... visitor?"  
  
----o  
  
"D...Dammit all! Why does everything go wrong for me?" The   
  
Youma clenched her fists and her face dropped. "Everything's going   
  
wrong. I came back to kill them all. Why are they dying without my   
  
help?" She started to bang her head against the ground.  
  
"Perhaps it's because you deserved it." Chibiusa growled.  
  
"You lived up to every single fear we had. You tried to kill us.   
  
Why did you think we killed you?"  
  
"Did you say something, bitch?" The Youma turned and looked  
  
back at Chibiusa. "What's with that body, anyway? Why are you   
  
trying to look like me?"  
  
"Because I am Tsukino Usagi. That is my name. My proper   
  
name. What you will never be. You are nothing more than a pathetic   
  
mixture of spirits, all of which you aren't."  
  
After several moments of trying to work out what Chibiusa   
  
meant, the Youma stood. "I am Tsukino Usagi... The original... I  
  
am... Serenity... No... I am... Met... Met... tal..."  
  
Chibiusa sneered. "Yesss.... You're pathetic. Don't play   
  
games with me. You're facing the Real McCoy this time. The genuine  
  
article."  
  
The Youma shivered, then laughed. "Come on then, Ms Real   
  
McCoy, show me what a REAL Moon Princess is capable of."  
  
Chibiusa wiggled the fingers of her right hand for a few   
  
seconds, and a small wand with a heart-shaped head appeared in it.   
  
"Alright, then. You want to see? I'll show you." Chibiusa made  
  
arm gestures, and waved the wand about. "PINK SUGAR HEART ATTACK!"  
  
The Youma cacked herself laughing as nothing happened for   
  
several seconds. "Hah! You call that worth my time? What a   
  
pissweak excuse for an atta...."  
  
Before the Youma could finish her sentence, a small   
  
concentrated beam of plasma with the energy of a supernova and the  
  
shape of a pink heart fired from the wand and blew her clear across  
  
the city. Chibiusa stared in disbelief at her handiwork for several  
  
moments, then at the wand, and performed a little dance on the spot.  
  
"Hoo, yeah. I love this body."  
  
She promptly fell to her knees as all her energy faded away.  
  
----o  
  
Several miles away, Hotaru only just avoided getting struck by  
  
a pink heart shaped beam of energy and a righteously miffed Youma as  
  
she hauled herself up the side of the mound. The blast knocked   
  
Usashin, Aosagi and Usako over, just as Usako was within reaching  
  
distance of the City's tendrils.  
  
The Youma, who had ricocheted off the side of the mount,   
  
stood, holding on to her bleeding chest. It was not healing, as it   
  
did before, and that worried her. The first thing she saw was   
  
Usako, getting to her feet.  
  
"Not p..possible..." She said. Memories of the future flowed  
  
through her mind. "How could SHE be HERE?"  
  
----o  
  
Chibiusa staggered over to Pallas, whose arm was now no more  
  
than a watery stump. "Guess I showed that Youma a thing or two,   
  
eh?"  
  
Pallas nodded sickly. "Y..yeah. Now... how about.. d.. doing  
  
something for... me..."  
  
Chibiusa sighed and knelt down to Pallas. Just as she was   
  
about to place energy into the unfortunate Asteroid Senshi, her body  
  
arched with flashes of plasma, and she fell back against the ground,   
  
her body rolling down the rise.  
  
"Bummer..." Pallas shook her head, and dropped to the ground.  
  
"PalaPala really doesn't like this dying game. It is soooo unfair."   
  
She whispered and chuckled helplessly before her body evaporated in a   
  
spray of water, which then drained into the soil, unseen.  
  
----o  
  
"PalaPala want to join you people in your little game."   
  
PalaPala looked around the now sizeable group sitting at the card   
  
table.  
  
"Yeah, sit down." Haruka gestured to a seat which had   
  
appeared. "We're waiting for Ami to get back."  
  
"What is she up to?" PalaPala scratched her head.  
  
"She's dealing with an errant Princess."  
  
----o  
  
Hotaru had managed to reach the summit. Both Aosagi and   
  
Usashin had fallen aside when the Youma had struck, and Usako was   
  
now a clear target for the Youma if she so much as wished to attack.  
  
"What the hell ARE you?" The Youma stared up at Usako, who   
  
looked back at her.  
  
"What are you?" She replied, simply.  
  
"You look like Serenity. You SMELL like Serenity."  
  
"Who knows. Perhaps I am." Usako turned away and looked up.  
  
"The circle that began with Tsukino Usagi's death is about to end.  
  
If you wish to stop it, then go ahead and try."  
  
"Circle?" Both Hotaru and the Youma stared at her,   
  
questioningly. Hotaru stared up at the tendrils of the city.  
  
Usako reached up, to touch the nearest tendril. The Youma   
  
raised her hand, an energy bolt forming. "Touch it and you die."  
  
"Why?" Usako looked down at her. "What are you afraid of?"  
  
"I am Tsukino Usagi. There is no circle that needs to be  
  
closed." She sneered.  
  
"Perhaps you're scared that the circle shall close on you!"  
  
The Youma snarled. She fired off an energy bolt, stopped only   
  
by a deflection from the Silence Glaive. Saturn held out the  
  
weapon, pointing the blade at the Youma.  
  
The Youma paused for a few moments. Both Usako and Hotaru had  
  
been alive in the future.... If she killed them here, now, then   
  
that future would not occur....  
  
Usashin lifted her head, to see Aosagi sitting beside her.   
  
"The creature that mocks the image of Tsukino Usagi is under the  
  
control of various opposing forces. I can feel it within me."  
  
"Wh.. what are you intending to do?"  
  
"If Usako succeeds in making contact with the City, a great  
  
purge shall occur. That beast shall be destroyed." She turned  
  
to Usashin. "I guess one of us shall have to distract it so Usako  
  
can complete what she has begun."  
  
"What do you mean, distract?"  
  
Aosagi smiled, then leapt.  
  
"Hayaaaaa!" The Youma was shaken from her musings as Aosagi  
  
flew at her, dagger held outwards.  
  
"Aosagi!" Usashin shouted. Hotaru lowered her Glaive as she  
  
watched the ninja Usagi land on the Youma's front.  
  
There was a blast of energy.  
  
The Youma's right arm was ripped off by Aosagi's blade.  
  
Usako turned and touched the City.  
  
Aosagi fell to the ground, her chest missing.  
  
Usashin scrabbled up beside Hotaru as the Youma screamed,   
  
clutching on to the stump of her arm. The arm itself flailed on   
  
the ground, like it had some grisly form of life itself. She   
  
turned to see Usako, glowing, an energy radiating slowly outwards.  
  
"O....ONORE!" The Youma held up her left hand and sent a   
  
blast of elemental energy at the trio.  
  
Hotaru held up the blade of the Glaive, and split the energy  
  
in two. The energy spun around and behind them. Hotaru and Usashin  
  
watched as the energy created a shield, mixing in with the strange   
  
energies being created as Usako and the City began to fuse. In a   
  
fraction of a second, the City disappeared, and all three were   
  
enveloped in a flash. The Youma stared up at the wall of energy as   
  
it flowed towards her.  
  
"Shit." She said simply, and was vapourised as it flew past.  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
and again  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
END OF PART 19  
  
TO BE CONCLUDED....  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
DDFA (The Right Dishonourable Mark A Page)  
  
darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
6th Mar 1998  
  
SIU - The Sailor Investigation Unit  
  
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=770955  
  
I'd read it if I were you. Maybe.... ^_^ 


	20. Part 20: Stopped Before it Starts

Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 20  
  
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)  
  
Email: darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
Fic Rating: R  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY  
  
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME  
  
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so  
  
these characters really belong to them, except ones I made up. You  
  
know who they are! They're the ones that run around doing bad   
  
things to the original cast. ^_^ Well, most of them, anyway.  
  
Part Twenty  
  
Stopped Before it Starts  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Hotaru had managed to reach the summit. Both Aosagi and   
  
Usashin had fallen aside when the Youma had struck, and Usako was   
  
now a clear target for the Youma if she so much as wished to attack.  
  
"What the hell ARE you?" The Youma stared up at Usako, who   
  
looked back at her.  
  
"What are you?" She replied, simply.  
  
"You look like Serenity. You SMELL like Serenity."  
  
"Who knows. Perhaps I am." Usako turned away and looked up.  
  
"The circle that began with Tsukino Usagi's death is about to end.  
  
If you wish to stop it, then go ahead and try."  
  
"Circle?" Both Hotaru and the Youma stared at her,   
  
questioningly. Hotaru stared up at the tendrils of the city.  
  
Usako reached to touch the nearest tendril. The Youma raised   
  
her hand, an energy bolt forming. "Touch it and you die."  
  
"Why?" Usako looked down at her. "What are you afraid of?"  
  
"I am Tsukino Usagi. There is no circle that needs to be  
  
closed." She sneered.  
  
"Perhaps you're scared that the circle shall close on you!"  
  
The Youma snarled. She fired off an energy bolt, stopped only   
  
by a deflection from the Silence Glaive. Saturn held out the  
  
weapon, pointing the blade at the Youma.  
  
The Youma paused for a few moments. Both Usako and Hotaru had  
  
been alive in the future.... If she killed them here, now, then   
  
that future would not occur....  
  
Usashin lifted her head, to see Aosagi sitting beside her.   
  
"The creature that mocks the image of Tsukino Usagi is under the  
  
control of various opposing forces. I can feel it within me."  
  
"Wh.. what are you intending to do?"  
  
"If Usako succeeds in making contact with the City, a great  
  
purge shall occur. That beast shall be destroyed." She turned  
  
to Usashin. "I guess one of us shall have to distract it so Usako  
  
can complete what she has begun."  
  
"What do you mean, distract?"  
  
Aosagi smiled, then leapt.  
  
"Hayaaaaa!" The Youma was shaken from her musings as Aosagi  
  
flew at her, dagger held outwards.  
  
"Aosagi!" Usashin shouted. Hotaru lowered her Glaive as she  
  
watched the ninja Usagi land on the Youma's front.  
  
There was a blast of energy.  
  
The Youma's right arm was ripped off by Aosagi's blade.  
  
Usako turned and touched the City.  
  
Aosagi fell to the ground, her chest missing.  
  
Usashin scrabbled up beside Hotaru as the Youma screamed,   
  
clutching on to the stump of her arm. The arm itself flailed on the   
  
ground, like it had some grisly form of life itself. She turned to   
  
see Usako, glowing, an energy radiating slowly outwards.  
  
"O....ONORE!" The Youma held up her left hand and sent a   
  
blast of elemental energy at the trio.  
  
Hotaru held up the blade of the Glaive, and split the energy  
  
in two. The energy spun around and behind them and formed a shield,   
  
mixing in with the strange energies being created as Usako and the   
  
City began to fuse. In a fraction of a second, the City   
  
disappeared, and all three were enveloped in a flash. The Youma   
  
stared up at the wall of energy as it flowed towards her.  
  
"Shit." She said simply, and was vapourised as it flew past.  
  
Her mind, however, continued to travel.  
  
----o  
  
  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
and again  
  
UAAFI OS FESD ISSGU IA DWAS HOP JIA HOP JOPRSY  
  
and again  
  
ISSGU IA DWAS UAAFI OS FESD GIO HUP GIO HIOEAT  
  
And as you tread the halls of sanity, you feel so glad to be  
  
unable to go beyond....  
  
----o  
  
The door to the Mizuno's fridge swung open, and Chibiusa fell  
  
out. She looked at her surroundings dazedly, and slowly got to her  
  
feet, only then realising that she was no longer as tall as she had  
  
been. She stared at her small hands, her small legs, the closeness  
  
of the ground.... She was no longer in the body of the 4P! She   
  
shivered and stared around at the silent and dark kitchen.  
  
Slowly, she wandered from the kitchen into the front yard,   
  
staring at her surroundings without understanding their meaning.   
  
She sniffed and could smell something sickly sweet in the air. She  
  
turned to the pool and moved towards it.  
  
The pool was filled with blood... Slowly congealing. She   
  
backed away, shaking her head, and ran into someone. Slowly, she  
  
looked up.  
  
"A... Ami-chan..." She turned as the blue-haired girl smiled  
  
at her.  
  
"Hello, Chibiusa."  
  
"You're alive! I'm so glad..." Chibiusa fell into Ami's arms  
  
and hugged her tightly. Ami looked down at the pink-haired girl,  
  
shaking her head sadly.  
  
"Looks like the Eternal City has given up on you being its   
  
great avatar.... Probably why it chose to put you in the body of  
  
the Eternal Sailormoon clone." Ami turned her head slightly.   
  
Chibiusa frowned.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You've been a very naughty girl, Chibiusa."  
  
"Eh?" Chibiusa looked up and backed away when she felt the   
  
numb, energyless sensation once more. "Wh.. What's happening?"  
  
"Time is reasserting itself, Chibiusa. You're being sent back  
  
into Crystal Tokyo."  
  
Chibiusa stared at her. "Why?"  
  
"When did you discover Usagi wasn't your real mother,   
  
Chibiusa?" Ami stared down at her sternly, like a teacher would to  
  
a mischievous pupil. Chibiusa shrank from her.  
  
"How do you know... About that..?"  
  
"I know everything, now. Its amazing, the liberating   
  
qualities of death." She took a breath. "This is but a fleeting  
  
moment of rebirth. I need to know, so I can deal with this in my   
  
next life. When did you discover that Usagi was not your real   
  
mother?"  
  
Chibiusa swallowed. "She told me herself."  
  
For a few moments, Ami just stared at her, then laughed. "Ah  
  
yes, I should have seen that. Of course she would. She knew you  
  
would go back to try and set things to rights...." Ami raised an  
  
eyebrow. "And do you know who your real mother is?"  
  
Chibiusa was about to speak, when her body was surrounded by  
  
flickering sparks of energy. She faded into nothingness, leaving  
  
Ami to sigh at the missed opportunity.  
  
She turned and looked towards the approaching sphere of   
  
energy. She smiled sadly, shaking her head. "Time to join me,  
  
okaasan."  
  
She disappeared, just before the energy wall obliterated her  
  
house and its surrounds.  
  
----o  
  
"It has started." Gaea said simply. "People are dying   
  
already." She shook her head.  
  
"People like your mother and father, Naru-chan." Usagi stood,  
  
pointing the Time Key at her. "And yours, Umino. Out there,   
  
somewhere, they are about to die, or are already dead."  
  
"I am supposed to feel something?" Gaea sniffed. "I am no  
  
longer Osaka Naru. I have seen the truth within the Cauldron."  
  
"As have I." Ascentia smiled at Gaea. "Those people who   
  
meant so much to us in that life were but pawns in a greater game."  
  
Galaxia smiled. "There is no point trying to appeal to their  
  
past selves, Serenity." She shook her head. "Regardless, it will  
  
do nothing to change the fact that your lack of decision on who   
  
shall live and who shall die will, perhaps, cost the lives of all."  
  
"Don't blame me for blood that is on your own hands, Galaxia."  
  
Usagi spun on her, pointing the Time Key. "Why are you doing this?  
  
I thought we had become friends. I thought I'd turned you round   
  
from this kind of thing." Galaxia's smile faded, but she remained  
  
silent. "Well, I have made a decision, and it is THIS!" She   
  
slammed the end of the Time Key into the ground, and Mamoru appeared  
  
before her.  
  
Galaxia, Gaea and Ascentia stared in surprise as he held out  
  
the Ginzuishou. Both Gaea and Ascentia screamed at its brilliant  
  
light, and fell to the ground, clutching their heads. Galaxia   
  
looked from the crystal to her companions.  
  
"What are you doing? You're ruining everything by bringing  
  
that here!" Galaxia leapt forward for the crystal, but Mamoru  
  
sidestepped her, bringing his hand down against the back of her  
  
neck. She fell to the ground, dazed.  
  
Millenia watched from a distance, smiling to herself. How did  
  
you like that one, Galaxia? You certainly weren't expecting me to  
  
arrange that, were you?  
  
Fool, was the voice she heard in her head. And she frowned.  
  
Slowly, Mamoru turned and looked at Usagi. "I heard your   
  
call, and came as quickly as I could." He held the Ginzuishou out  
  
to her. She smiled at him.  
  
"Thankyou, Mamo-chan."  
  
She took the crystal.  
  
----o  
  
The wall rolled onwards. Doctor Mizuno could see it   
  
approaching the hospice. Many of the medics had panicked and run,  
  
but it was too late, now. She turned to the patient she had been  
  
working with, out under the open sky of the makeshift hospital in   
  
the carpark. A six year old girl who had seen both her parents  
  
killed by the Resonator. She stared back in fear, and Doctor Mizuno  
  
took her hand.  
  
They both watched as a Destroyer erupted into flames upon   
  
contact with the wall, then obliterated. The wall rolled on towards  
  
them.  
  
"I'm scared..." The girl croaked softly. Doctor Mizuno   
  
turned back to her, smiling.  
  
"So am I."  
  
The wall rolled through the hospice. The screams of the   
  
patients, medics and JSDF soldiers lasted but a few seconds. The  
  
wall left nothing behind.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi screamed. Mamoru stared at her as she clutched onto the  
  
Ginzuishou, pressing it against her chest.   
  
Millenia smiled, holding her head back. Who is a fool,   
  
Galaxia? If you want to try and manipulate me by playing the   
  
villain, then I'm afraid you're going to have to try better.  
  
Galaxia stared up at Usagi from the floor. "Endymion... get  
  
away from her..." She croaked as Mamoru placed his hands on Usagi's  
  
shoulders.  
  
----o  
  
The wall leapt the small rise upon which the still form of the  
  
4P Eternal Sailormoon clone lay. It flowed over the top of her,   
  
burning her slightly, but otherwise missed her completely.  
  
----o  
  
"Usagi? What is wrong? What has happened to you?" Mamoru  
  
shook Usagi's shoulders as she went silent. The glow of the   
  
Ginzuishou had also faded away.  
  
Galaxia grabbed hold of Mamoru's leg. "Endymion, get back   
  
from her.... She's... She's not...."  
  
----o  
  
The wall levelled the library. Misagi, in the second basement  
  
of the building, curled up into a small ball and prayed for dear   
  
life.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi raised her head, smiling softly at Mamoru. "I'm alright  
  
now, Mamo-chan.... I've wanted to see you... for so long."  
  
"I, too, have waited many years to see you again." He pulled  
  
Usagi close to him. "I've heard of what the others did to you.   
  
They must be punished for their crime."  
  
Usagi smiled, and buried her head in his chest. "Yes. All  
  
involved must be punished."  
  
Galaxia shivered and cringed.   
  
Millenia stepped up to the silent, unconcious forms of what   
  
used to be Gaea and Ascentia, now replaced by the younger, softer   
  
forms of Tranquility and Astute. She reached down and brushed her   
  
hand against their faces, smiling.  
  
"So cute..." She whispered.  
  
----o  
  
The wall levelled the Tomoe house. In his basement, where he  
  
had kept his vast laboratory, Tomoe Souichi huddled with hundreds of  
  
screaming Usagis, two cats and a slightly worse for wear police   
  
detective.  
  
The wall rolled on.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi thrust her right arm through Mamoru's chest, still   
  
smiling. Blood flew from his mouth, and he staggered back,   
  
clutching the wound, as she flicked blood from her retrieved hand.  
  
"U.. Usa... I... Why?"  
  
"All must be punished for killing me. Even YOU, Mamo-chan."  
  
She laughed as Mamoru sank to his knees. He turned to Galaxia, and  
  
she shook her head.  
  
"The Ginzuishou.... The Youma used shards of the crystal to  
  
form its spirit. Millenia knew that. That's why she got Pluto to  
  
make Serenity retrieve it. She knew that, if Serenity touched the   
  
crystal, its spirit would meld with the original within Usagi's true  
  
body."  
  
Mamoru stared at Galaxia as Usagi watched on, grinning.   
  
"Why... Why didn't you say this before?" Galaxia smiled sadly as   
  
she sat up.  
  
"Did you give me an opportunity? She thinks you were the   
  
Endymion who caused her death. She doesn't realise the Resonator  
  
masqueraded as you." Galaxia turned to Usagi, smiling. "You killed  
  
your lover for no reason."  
  
Usagi stared at her, her smile fading. "What do you mean, for   
  
no reason? HE WAS ONE OF THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR MY DEATH! He was   
  
resp..." Galaxia chuckled, shaking her head as she got to her feet.  
  
"Endymion was trapped within the Eternal City all the time the  
  
Senshi were plotting to kill you. What you saw as Endymion was the  
  
Resonator in disguise." Galaxia chuckled. "And the Resonator is  
  
already dead. Killed by a pair of senshi your Youma self failed to   
  
dispense with. In fact, your Youma self actually failed to kill a   
  
single one of the senshi...." She turned back to Mamoru, sadly.   
  
"Until now. And you killed him for no reason whatsoever."  
  
Usagi's face became helpless. She looked from Galaxia to   
  
Mamoru. "I didn't want to... I wanted to be with him. But the   
  
desire to hurt him... It was... It was..." She began to quiver,  
  
and Mamoru smiled at her.  
  
"It's alright, Usagi. I forgive you. If it's you, I can   
  
forgive." Usagi took a few steps forward, and managed to catch him  
  
as he pitched forward. She held his head in her lap, but knew he   
  
was already dead. His body disintergrated into a mist that floated  
  
away.  
  
She clenched her fists, her face a mask of fury.  
  
Oops, thought Millenia, looks like its time to take our leave.  
  
----o  
  
The wall now struck the circle of senshi, miko and courtesans  
  
that surrounded Tokyo, as their chants reached a crescendo. Their  
  
bodies were obliterated instantly, including the Starlights, but   
  
their combined magic fused with the energy as it rolled on. At the  
  
epicentre, the magic caused a Queen to be reborn....  
  
As Galaxia had planned.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi turned to Galaxia. "Why did you do this? Why have the  
  
both of you been playing with us like this? Are we nothing more   
  
than pawns in your game?"  
  
Galaxia said nothing.  
  
"I.... I made love to Mamoru... Several times before I   
  
was... Do you mean I was casting my affections.. my body... on   
  
that... that monster?" Tears flowed from her eyes.  
  
Her right hand began to quiver.  
  
"And... you... did... nothing... to... stop... it!" She   
  
gritted her teeth and raised her hands.  
  
Neither of them noticed Naiad was gone, with Naru and Umino   
  
with her.  
  
----o  
  
Ikuko stood up and stared from the side of the ship,   
  
disbelievingly. The vast dome of energy continued to expand   
  
outwards, towards the ship. Ikuko felt Shingo pressing against her,  
  
and she looked down at him.  
  
"Mama... Where is Usagi-oneechan?"  
  
"I'm not sure, Shin-chan." She smiled at him.  
  
"I hope she's safe." Shingo had tears in his eyes. A hand   
  
came down softly on his head and they both looked up at Kenji. He  
  
smiled at them both, then reached down to pick up Shingo.  
  
Holding Shingo, he put an arm around his wife's shoulders.  
  
Yuuichirou stared down at the body of Rei's Grandfather. It  
  
had been altogether too much for him... the stress. He thought the  
  
old man was just leaning against him, tiredly, and had been talking  
  
to him for some minutes. Until he realised the old man had become,  
  
literally, a dead weight.  
  
He placed his shirt over the top of the old man's face, pausing   
  
to reflect....  
  
"Rei-chan...." He whispered to himself, trying to stop   
  
himself from displaying any emotion. Now was not the time.  
  
  
  
He looked back at the Tsukinos. There were many people   
  
standing along the railing of the deck, staring out at the   
  
approaching hell. Water at its base seethed and frothed, and ships   
  
vanished into nothing as it rolled over them. Hundreds of lives  
  
vanished with them. Their screams were so loud they could be heard  
  
even at this distance. Yuuichirou shivered.  
  
Even Rikai was standing, leaning against the railing. He   
  
looked tired, and ready for what was about to hit them.  
  
Yuuichirou became angry. Why were they all meekly accepting  
  
their deaths to this... whatever it was?  
  
On instinct, he pushed past Rikai and leapt over the railing.  
  
Seeing what he was doing, others started to follow. Kenji stared at   
  
his wife. "The water! Get into the water!" He lifted both Ikuko   
  
and Shingo over the railing, before they could say anything, and   
  
pushed them overboard. He then leapt himself.  
  
Hundreds of people started jumping over the sides of the   
  
ships, and sinking as far down as they could from the surface.   
  
Rikai noticed what the people were doing, but didn't care. Without   
  
his wife and children, his life meant nothing to him.  
  
Even as people were still leaping overboard from the flotilla,   
  
the wall struck, vapourising everything in its path, Rikai included.   
  
Those too near the surface of the water were boiled to death. Only   
  
those who had swum deep were fortunate enough to be given the   
  
natural spa treatment.  
  
----o  
  
Hotaru opened her eyes to come face to face with the barrel of  
  
a gun. "Get out." Said the soldier. He was dressed in some black   
  
uniform, much like the ninjas who had attacked herself, Usashin and   
  
Kaorusagi back in the valley. Gently, she shook Setsuna and Umi.   
  
The two girls stirred and looked up at her.  
  
"Hotaru-oneechan?" Setsuna muttered. Hotaru hushed her and   
  
motioned them to move along, trying not to let them go as they   
  
clambered from the rear of the truck.  
  
Even before she had fully emerged from the doorway, she felt  
  
something hard and heavy slam into the back of her head. She   
  
collapsed to the ground, hitting face-first, holding her head in  
  
agony, letting out small cries of pain.  
  
"Hotaru-oneechan!" She heard Setsuna and Umi exclaim. The  
  
two girls were bundled aside by the small collection of heavily  
  
armed soldiers. Hotaru looked up from the ground, to see the four  
  
sisters and the three Usagi clones, on the side of the road, tied   
  
up, indignantly protesting at their situation, only silencing at   
  
gunpoint.  
  
She turned aside, and her eyes opened wide. The Head   
  
Priest... The man who SHOULD have died back in the valley, stood,  
  
holding the girls' shoulders, amidst the group of soldiers, smiling  
  
at her.  
  
"Surprised, Saturn? You should be." He smiled. She had to   
  
use every ounce of her self-control to not dump a DRR there and   
  
then.  
  
----o  
  
Naru and Umino were shaken awake, looking up into the face of   
  
Naiad. "Morning, Tranqs." Naiad smiled at Naru. "Have a nice   
  
sleep?"  
  
"Naiad-sama?" Naru blinked. "What happened?"  
  
"I had to remove us from the scene of the crime, so to speak.  
  
Things were getting a little hot between your friend, Usagi, and   
  
Galaxia.  
  
"No..." Naru got up on her knees. "What happened to us just  
  
then? I felt really strange, like I wasn't in control of myself,   
  
anymore" Naiad smiled and shrugged.  
  
"Galaxia and I gave you both access to your old memories. But  
  
it seems even we higher beings are susceptible to a little   
  
manipulation by crystals." Naiad paused. "But anyway, I rather   
  
prefer you both like this. You're both more.... appealing."  
  
Both Naru and Umino shied away from Naiad's rather all too   
  
loving gaze.  
  
----o  
  
There was very little left of the revival room. The darkened,  
  
scorched walls continued to smoulder with the sudden release of   
  
energy. Usagi stood in the centre of the room, her breath nothing   
  
more than a rasp. She clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and  
  
regained her composure.  
  
Slowly, she plodded over to where Galaxia lay. Somehow, the   
  
woman had managed to put up a shield in time to block the blast.   
  
Well, most of it, anyway.   
  
There was very little left of Galaxia's lower half, the trunk   
  
of her body torn off just under her navel. Such was the heat that   
  
had escaped Usagi's fingers, even this massive wound had been   
  
cauterised shut... Still, the woman had the gall to stare up at   
  
her, smiling.  
  
"You poor, poor pitiful thing." Usagi shook her head. "Why  
  
did you think you could take me on?"  
  
"Because, Metallia, there is nothing you can do that can hurt  
  
me." Usagi's face screwed up.  
  
"Metallia?"  
  
Galaxia chuckled. The poor girl just didn't understand.  
  
"It's what I said. Now you have taken the Ginzuishou into  
  
yourself, you have all the mixed spirits the Youma had within her.  
  
Slowly melding together. Eventually, you shall become the perfect  
  
Grey Queen, controlling both the light and dark energies of your   
  
system. Finally bringing to heel what failed to be controlled from  
  
the start."  
  
"Why, Galaxia? Why did you allow Millenia to go ahead with  
  
this? You could both have left well enough alone...."  
  
"Because it was not destiny's will. And whatever I do,   
  
Millenia must do the opposite." Galaxia smiled and coughed, blood  
  
running from her mouth as she did so.  
  
"All that psychological torture you put everyone through, to  
  
make this go ahead.... Was that really necessary. To have me   
  
killed...."  
  
"You turned me, remember? When I was in the control of Chaos,  
  
you rid me of its presence by appealing to my better nature. At   
  
that moment, Millenia swapped sides."  
  
Galaxia coughed, then continued.  
  
"She was quite willing to play the hero, saving lives from my   
  
tyranny. But as soon as you turned me, she became the villain. She   
  
decided it was time to settle something that had been plaguing her   
  
for thousands of years, and to destroy the rebirth of your Kingdom   
  
in the process." Galaxia smiled. "But by doing something of equal   
  
horror... killing all those senshi and miko that I had revived....   
  
She turned once more and has set up a situation in which you can all   
  
be reborn."  
  
Usagi shook her head contemptuously. "You are both freaks.  
  
You play with others as if they were your toys. It is good you die  
  
here."  
  
Galaxia smiled. "Don't... be too sure of that."   
  
There was a flash of light, and the remains of her body faded   
  
into dust. Usagi watched the dust dissipate into nothingness.  
  
"Galaxia-sama!" Usagi turned, to see Sentinel standing in the  
  
doorway. "What... have you done to her?"  
  
"What does it look like I've done?" Usagi shook her head,   
  
looking around the walls of the revival room. "I have had her   
  
reduced to her constituent particles. Ah, now only if it had been   
  
that easy the last time...."  
  
"If it had been that easy the last time, your place as   
  
Princess Serenity would have been tainted with her blood for all   
  
time." Next to Sentinel, Aoi stepped up, holding onto three glowing   
  
spheres. One red, one green and one blue. Her expression was no   
  
longer that of a meek and confused young woman. "I think you might   
  
be in for a surprise."  
  
----o  
  
Usako stood outside the front of the fortress, watching the  
  
sun set on the horizon. Professor Tomoe emerged from the darkness  
  
of the building behind her.  
  
"Its a beautiful sunset, is it not?" He said to her, softly.  
  
She nodded. "Where is Hotaru, now?" He said suddenly. She paused  
  
and thought his question over.  
  
"Following destiny."  
  
Usako closed her eyes, and saw Hotaru, being lined up against  
  
the truck alongside the Ayakashi sisters and the three Usagi clones.  
  
"We can't allow them to die." Usashin's voice echoed in her   
  
mind. She smiled. No, we can't. Things are too important for   
  
that.  
  
----o  
  
"Well..." The Head Priest ran his hand along Petz's chin. "I  
  
haven't seen you four in a while. Did you miss me?"  
  
"Don't touch me, you bastard!" Petz spat at him. He wiped   
  
the spittle from his face, and backhanded her. Cooan and Beruche   
  
made to help her, but Maisagi stopped them. The Head Priest looked   
  
from one to the next.  
  
"All such pretty young ladies. Tis a pity I have to have you   
  
all killed. But then, I suppose that is the villain kind of thing   
  
to do." He chuckled. "With those girls so young, I can manipulate   
  
them into using their powers for... our cause. But girls your   
  
age.... Well, there really is only one way to manipulate you. And   
  
I'm not interested in that kind of thing. Although some of my men   
  
here might be." He turned to the soldiers, who chuckled.  
  
"Maybe.... I dunno.... Maybe I could have a use for you.   
  
But then, I don't suppose working in the whorehouse, back at the   
  
shrine, would appeal to you." He sniffed, shrugging.  
  
"How did you survive?" Hotaru glowered at him. He turned to  
  
her, smiling.  
  
"Ah, but an air of fortune came into my life...."  
  
"Which is about to end, Mistral LeFevre." The soldiers spun  
  
at the new voice. Those at the outer edge of the group were struck  
  
by beams of electrical energy, culminating in an explosion that   
  
killed a half dozen of them. The Head Priest levelled his gaze as  
  
seven figures appeared from the haze of the blast, walking slowly  
  
and deliberately. Seven women.  
  
"From the flickering flames that float in the sky, I am the  
  
dark bird of nightmares. Sailor Lead Crow." Crow, dressed in a   
  
black and white pinstripe suit and hat, put a hand on her head and  
  
pointed at them.  
  
"From the oceans that hide a million secrets, I am the shark  
  
that hunts for the flesh of the weak. Sailor Aluminium Siren."   
  
Siren, dressed in a long dress with overcoat and woollen hat posed,  
  
licking her lips.  
  
"From the hunt of the world of night, I am the lioness who  
  
rules the land by day. Sailor Tin Nyanko." Nyanko, wearing red and   
  
black dinner suit and wise-brimmed hat, rolled her fingers at the   
  
soldiers, her smiled showing them a pair of feline-like fangs.  
  
"From the darkest corners of your life, I am the one who   
  
skitters through your mind to destroy your dreams. Sailor Iron   
  
Mouse." Mouse was in a light suit, with similarly-coloured hat.   
  
She tipped the brim over her eyes, smiling.  
  
The four animates stood, arrogantly staring at the guns the  
  
soldiers held as if they were nothing. Around the outside, two  
  
more of the figures approached. Although Hotaru couldn't be sure,  
  
the first appeared more than familiar. Her brown hair had been cut  
  
short, and she was well in her twenties... But..."  
  
"From the grand energies of the King of planets, I dominate  
  
over all who stand before me. Sailor Jupiter!" Dressed in an   
  
unusual variant of her original fuku, Makoto sneered at the Head   
  
Priest, whose eyes were, by now, boggling with dislbelief. It   
  
wasn't about to get any better.  
  
"From a tiny world that flits through the darkness, I confuse  
  
and confound in the name of freedom. Sailor Ceres." CereCere swung  
  
around Mouse in her elegant-looking, pink floral kimono-like fuku.  
  
And in between Crow and Siren, a scarlet-haired woman, in the  
  
formal robes of a Miko, pulled back her hood. "And, Mistral   
  
LeFevre, I am the Priestess of Pleasure, with a mind for the truth.  
  
I am the Sailor Miko Scorpius." She reached her hand forward,   
  
pointing at the Head Priest. "And if you don't release those girls   
  
and give yourself up to the new order, in the name of the Kingdom,   
  
we shall punish you.... RUBEUS!"  
  
He stared at Arachne. "How... How did you know who I was?"   
  
He shuddered.  
  
"It was simple. Nobody but someone with powers could have  
  
escaped that pocket dimension created by Galaxia. And besides, we  
  
have been travelling the systems for quite some time now. The more  
  
I thought about it, the more you seemed to have the air of the Black   
  
Moon Family about you." She chuckled. "I think I knew,   
  
instinctively, before then. But.... Oh well, maybe I was just   
  
drawn to another poor, thugged-on bastard. Pity you've remained a  
  
bastard."  
  
"RUBEUS!?!" Petz gritted her teeth. "What is the meaning of  
  
this, you bastard! How dare you do this to us?!?"  
  
"Ouchie...." CereCere put her fingers in her ears. "She's   
  
got a loud voice when she wants to..."  
  
"There is no point arguing with him." Hotaru said, darkly.  
  
She looked over at Jupiter, who smiled at her.  
  
"Hi there, Saturn. Its nice to see you're still alive." She  
  
turned to Rubeus. "You have nothing to worry about, now. I'm   
  
here." She rolled her fingers, obviously keen to dispense with   
  
Rubeus and his men. Whatever had happened to her over the course of  
  
the last few years, her ego had not been tempered.  
  
Rubeus gripped Setsuna and Umi. "I'm warning you, you try  
  
anything and I'll kill these girls."  
  
"You tried that one on me before, Rubeus." Hotaru sneered.  
  
"Didn't work that time. You ended up ripping them open and making  
  
me madder. And I'm getting pretty angry right now." Hotaru reached  
  
forward, and the Glaive appeared. Ceres cooed.  
  
"Ooh, gotta love that weapon. Wish I had one."  
  
Rubeus looked back at Saturn. "Is that so? Well... What if  
  
I said I was willing to die with the girls, eh?"  
  
"Then I shall torment you beyond the grave. No matter what  
  
you do or say, as soon as they appeared, you were on the losing   
  
side." Hotaru pointed at the new arrivals and smiled. "How did you   
  
scrag the Usagis' powers, anyway? They should have been able to   
  
deal with you."  
  
Rubeus smiled, then leapt high into the air, dragging the two  
  
girls with him, kicking and screaming.   
  
"Hotaru-oneechaaaaan!" She heard Setsuna crying out. She   
  
gritted her teeth.  
  
"JUPITER!" Saturn cried out, and leapt into the air after   
  
him. Jupiter followed.  
  
Rubeus's men stared around, not knowing what to do. One,   
  
deciding it was worth a try, opened fire on Crow. He was burnt  
  
to death in seconds. What followed was pandemonium as soldiers  
  
opened fire in every direction, various sisters and Usagi's ducked   
  
for cover, and various Sailors went on with their business, ridding   
  
the universe of some of the living flotsam.  
  
Until those soldiers that were left decided to surrender.   
  
Then they just had fun slapping them around.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi glowered at Aoi, who wandered the storage chamber, or  
  
what was left of it now it had been emptied of its contents. Some  
  
of the caskets had started to glow. Sentinel watched, from a   
  
distance.  
  
"Do you see this? The beginning of a new age. Their star  
  
seeds are returning."  
  
"You're not Kikotsuka Aoi. Who are you?"  
  
"Oh, I'm Kikotsuka Aoi, alright. But not the same Kikotsuka  
  
Aoi who lived on Earth.... No... I have a different destiny now."  
  
She let the spheres go, and giggled as they flew around her.  
  
"Destiny.... It is my destiny to destroy what remains of the  
  
Empire.... the last vestiges of the colonial past." She looked   
  
around the chamber. "All of this.... Pitiful opulence. It spent  
  
slaves centuries to complete.... Now I must destroy it all... And   
  
you with it."  
  
Aoi giggled and allowed the spheres to land in her hands.  
  
"Such a sad destiny... But then, you are now a Grey Queen.  
  
I wonder, however, if you remember what Galaxia said, about your  
  
body being maintained. You see.... Now The Four have stopped   
  
feeding you power, what is keeping your body alive?"  
  
Usagi frowned. "My body?"  
  
"Indeed... Your body rejected your spirit, like an autonomic  
  
defence response. They had to use their powers to keep you alive.  
  
I wonder why you haven't died yet...? Any ideas, Sentinel?"  
  
"None, my Lady." Sentinel smiled.  
  
"Could be the Ginzuishou.... That cursed crystal."  
  
"Indeed, my Lady."  
  
"Lady?" Usagi looked from Sentinel to Aoi.  
  
"Indeed. I am now the Guard Captain of the New Kingdom of   
  
Sol. The fact that these spheres, containing the spirits of the  
  
Asteroid Senshi, came to me is proof of that."  
  
"Then I am your Queen, and you shall obey me."  
  
"Not yet, you aren't." Aoi smiled. "Time to get on with it,  
  
Galaxia." Usagi felt something rip into her back, and she arched.  
  
Pain radiated through every pore of her being as the Ginzuishou   
  
within her was gripped.   
  
She turned aside and stared at the figure that had done this   
  
to her. She saw a small face... A small, round face, with red hair   
  
done up in semi-odango tails. The little face smiled at her.  
  
"Chibichibi." The little girl said. Usagi cried out.  
  
----o  
  
Rubeus bounded hundreds of feet at a time, his two captives  
  
whimpering as he did so. "Shutup, you BITCHES!" He shouted at  
  
them. They cowered at his fury.  
  
He looked back over his shoulder. Saturn was a long way  
  
behind him now, and he had heard the sound of gunfire and explosions  
  
coming from where he had left the truck. He might even get away  
  
with this pair. If he was lucky. Luck had not always been on his  
  
side when it came to the Sailorsenshi....  
  
He didn't know how right he was to worry.  
  
He was elbowed across the side of his head. He didn't see who  
  
it was that hit him so hard. Before he knew what was happening, the  
  
girls were out of his grasp. All he saw was the green and pink fuku   
  
of Jupiter, whizzing past as he landed on the ground, staggering   
  
backwards. He saw Jupiter, standing arrogantly in the middle of the   
  
open field, her hands around the shoulders of the girls as they   
  
clung to her.  
  
"Game, set and match, Ruby-san."  
  
"Don't play me for a fool, little girl!"  
  
"Oops! What did you say? Little GIRL? If you haven't   
  
noticed, I'm not a GIRL anymore. And neither is my friend." She   
  
lifted her hand from Umi and snapped her fingers. "Do it, Saturn."  
  
Rubeus felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand, and was  
  
somewhat unsurprised, but no less alarmed, when Saturn thrust the  
  
blade of the Glaive through his back, its tips appearing from his  
  
chest. He turned his head slowly, angrily, facing her.  
  
"Onore...." His gaze was met with dark, empty eyes, like   
  
there were no eyes in her sockets at all. When she spoke, it was a   
  
sound from the depths of hell itself.  
  
"Darkness Axiom..." The Glaive began to vibrate, giving out  
  
waves of sonic energy. Rubeus felt pain running throughout his   
  
body.  
  
And then he exploded in a shower of flesh and blood, all of   
  
which missed Saturn and Jupiter, on a whim of the senshi of   
  
darkness. She arranged the sonic pattern of his evisceration   
  
because she didn't feel like tainting her body with a singe cell of   
  
his being. Jupiter gave her senshi counterpart a distasteful   
  
expression.  
  
"You've grown a mean streak since I last saw you, you know   
  
that?" She chuckled darkly. Saturn nodded.  
  
"Yeah, Hotaru-oneechan is way cool." Setsuna smiled. Both  
  
Saturn and Jupiter sweatdropped. Saturn slowly stepped up to them,  
  
her eyes reverting to their normal shade.  
  
"Setsuna-chan, we have a lot to talk about...."  
  
----o  
  
Yuuichirou rose to the surface of the water. Despite the fact  
  
that the water was rather hot, as was the air he so desperately   
  
needed to breathe, he was, at the very least, alive. That it hurt  
  
so much was proof of that.  
  
He looked around, trying to spot someone, anyone, who had   
  
survived.... whatever it was that blown through.  
  
"Mamaaaa! Papaaa!" He turned to his right. About a hundred  
  
feet away, Shingo was floating on the surface, bobbing on the waves.  
  
"Shingoooo!" He cried out, waving to the boy. Shingo, seeing  
  
him, began dog-paddling his way over.  
  
"Kumada-saaaan!" Yuuichirou met Shingo halfway.  
  
"Shingo.... Where are your parents? Where are they?"  
  
"I don't know. I lost sight of them. Mama was holding me   
  
when we hit the water, and we started to go down... And then...  
  
Everything went bright and hot, and I looked up, and I lost her. I  
  
can't find her anywhere. Or Papa." Shingo looked to be at the   
  
point of tears.  
  
"Don't worry... We'll find them. If we made it, I'm sure   
  
they did, too." Yuuichirou wished he was as confident as he   
  
sounded. Shingo nodded.  
  
Suddenly, there was a flash of light, from where Tokyo had  
  
once stood. Shingo gripped Yuuichirou as the pair of them watched  
  
something rise over the city's remains. Like a huge figure with   
  
wings.  
  
"Its.... Its an angel...." Shingo said, breathlessly.  
  
The two of them watched as the vast figure rose into the   
  
clouds, then disappeared. They just floated there, silently, for  
  
several moments, when Shingo turned to Yuuichirou.  
  
"Was.. Was all that... An angel being born?"  
  
Yuuichirou didn't know how to answer that.  
  
----o  
  
"GALAXIAAAA!" Usagi felt the Ginzuishou ripped from her body.  
  
The girl pushed her weakened form forward, and waited until she   
  
turned before crushing the crystal within her hand. Its light faded  
  
for the last time.  
  
Usagi watched as the remains of the Ginzuishou fell on the   
  
floor. Already, she could feel her limbs becoming cold. "Wh...  
  
Why?" She shook her head.  
  
"Chibichibi..." Oh blast, Galaxia thought. The little girl   
  
closed her eyes and reformed, growing into the larger figure of   
  
Galaxia. She reopened them and smiled at Usagi. "Sorry about that.   
  
Even though the body is cute, it does have its disadvantages when it   
  
comes to communication."   
  
She turned to Sentinel and Aoi, who stepped alongside her.   
  
"I'm sorry I had to put you through all this, Serenity, but I needed   
  
to know if you were ready to become Queen of the New Kingdom. But   
  
you don't quite seem to fit the mould just yet."  
  
Usagi shook her head. "None of this needed to happen.  
  
"No, it didn't."  
  
  
  
"So why did it?"  
  
"Because I wanted everyone to see what I was capable of." All  
  
turned as Naiad strode humbly into the chamber from the revival   
  
room, followed by Naru and Umino.  
  
"You wanted them to see what evil you were capable of."   
  
Galaxia sneered.  
  
"And what evil you could achieve to counter it. The   
  
destruction of the lives of all those senshi...."  
  
"To match your wanton decimation of the lives on that world.  
  
Even now, what shall become known as The Cataclysm is spreading   
  
across the planet."  
  
"Rebirth shall occur, the constructive forces of Serenity   
  
shall bring about a new order." Naiad looked down at Usagi. "I'm sorry."  
  
Usagi shook her head, disbelievingly. "You discuss... all  
  
their deaths... as if it were the weather..."  
  
"To us, it may as well be..." Naiad's smile faded. "But  
  
the cost can be high..." She lifted a shattered portion of the  
  
Time Key from her robes.  
  
"Pluto...." Usagi looked down, and noticed her hands were   
  
beginning to evaporate. She looked up at Galaxia. "What is going  
  
to happen to me, now?"  
  
"The circle will close."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Why don't you find out for yourself, when it happens...."  
  
Usagi stared at them, then closed her eyes as her body turned  
  
to dust, blowing away as if by some divine wind. Eventually, there  
  
was nothing left at all.  
  
----o  
  
The 4P Usagi clone opened her eyes, for the first time in  
  
what was a large portion of her short life with her own soul  
  
running things. She let out a few short exclamations of pain as  
  
she felt the burns on her face, arms and chest. No worse than  
  
sunburn, but it still hurt, all the same.  
  
"You look in bad shape, there, friend." The 4P turned to see   
  
a dark-haired Usagi clone, in tattered clothing, with a tattered   
  
manner, standing on the burnt grass on top of the rise. She sniffed  
  
with distaste. "You gotta hate smoke, dontcha? It gets right on my  
  
quince."  
  
Misagi romped down the hillock and reached down to the 4P,   
  
pulling her to her feet. "I suppose we better find some other   
  
people, or we're gonna be the last people on Earth."  
  
"Ano..." The 4P looked at her. "Who are you? Where are we?"  
  
"Earth to Chibiusa whatsyaname?" Misagi waved her hand in   
  
front of the 4P's eyes. The 4P watched her with curiosity. "You're  
  
really out of it, aren't you? Unless...." She thought for a few  
  
moments. "What's your name?"  
  
"I... don't have a name."  
  
"Hmm... So Chibiusa is outta there, eh? Oh well. How about  
  
Serena? That sound like a good name to you?"  
  
"Ano... Why Serena?"  
  
"Sounds like a good name to me."  
  
The 4P thought about it for a few moments, then nodded. "My  
  
name is Serena, then." She smiled, rather hard to do with a burnt  
  
face.  
  
----o  
  
Petz and Karaberas stared at what was left of their truck,   
  
sadly. "I wonder if they're still offering work as a barmaid down  
  
in Shin Kobe." Karaberas muttered, earning an elbow from her older   
  
sister.  
  
They both turned as they watched their younger counterparts  
  
performing sadistic games on the surviving soldiers. They wondered  
  
where Beruche had learnt to tie people up in that manner.... But  
  
then, they always did worry a little about Beruche.  
  
Maisagi and Unagi began to inspect the truck's payload with  
  
Petz as Saturn and Jupiter returned with the two girls. Arachne,  
  
who was sitting quietly on a rock beside the road, looked up as they  
  
approached.  
  
"Heh, return of the heroes." Jupiter smiled, patting Umi on  
  
the head. The girl looked up at her.  
  
"Hoi, not so hard."  
  
"Whoops, sorry about that, kid." She smiled at Arachne. "Any  
  
of them left for me to kill?"  
  
"I'm afraid not, Jupiter-san." Arachne said quietly.   
  
"Perhaps you'd like to help the young ladies who own this truck with  
  
transporting their wares onto our ship?"  
  
Jupiter sniffed, giving Arachne a lopsided smile, turning to  
  
where Ceres and the Animates had sparked up a conversation with the  
  
normally shy Sae. Her smiled faded, and her expression became   
  
distant. "I suppose.... I must be good for something." Jupiter  
  
wandered away, as if forgetting the existence of Saturn and the two  
  
girls. Umi and Setsuna watched her go, worriedly. Saturn turned to  
  
Arachne, raising an eyebrow questioningly.  
  
"I'm sorry about her behaviour. She's been like that... for a  
  
long time, now." Arachne sighed. "She might improve, now she knows  
  
you're alive.... She has been depressed because she thought she was  
  
the only one left...."  
  
Saturn nodded mutely, placing her hands protectively around   
  
the shoulders of Setsuna and Umi. Arachne watched her and smiled.  
  
"It would appear... You have found yourself a goal in life."  
  
Saturn blinked, looking down at the girls, then back up at   
  
Arachne. "I guess... You could say... I've had to take the place  
  
of others... who are no longer with us."  
  
Arachne nodded. "But there shall always be those who are   
  
willing to use their powers for their own purposes.... Like   
  
Mistral... Rubeus."  
  
"How was he reborn, anyway? And how was he going to use their  
  
powers?" Saturn shook her head.  
  
"He was going to control them the same way he controlled the   
  
powers of the Usagis." Arachne held out a small box-like device   
  
from her Miko robes. "With this."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"It's a Rubicon.... A gadget that, apparently, if used   
  
correctly, can suppress our access to the elemental powers to which  
  
we were born."  
  
"Could there be any more devices like that out there?"  
  
Arachne shrugged, replacing the device in her robes. "The   
  
best we can do is study it, and find out what its capabilities are."  
  
Saturn shook her head. "How did you guys find us, anyway?"  
  
"Galaxia..."  
  
"Galaxia? What about her?"  
  
"She knew what was going to happen here, on this day, and she  
  
planned for us to arrive at this moment." Arachne shrugged. "The  
  
girls you hold in your hands are more important than you can   
  
understand. They can't be raised... out here... In the wilderness.  
  
They need a place they can call home. And they need the   
  
protection... of their future Queen."  
  
Saturn looked aside. Arachne nodded. "There is such a place.  
  
But are you willing to return to it?"  
  
The little girl inside her wanted to run away. Anything but  
  
face her father once more.... She looked down at Setsuna, then at  
  
Umi... They needed protection and guidance, both for very different  
  
and specific reasons.  
  
"Oh well." Arachne turned away. "The decision is up to you."  
  
----o  
  
In the midst of a pile of rubble, a large metal door implanted  
  
in a heavy concrete base swung open. From the hole within emerged  
  
the face of Professor Tomoe, and about a half dozen Usagis.  
  
"Is everything alright?" Ushayla blinked, staring up at the  
  
sky. It took her a few moments to realise something. "Hey, the  
  
world up there... It's gone!" The Professor and the other Usagis  
  
stared up into a clear blue, cloudless sky.... If one excused the  
  
wast amount of smoke rising upwards.  
  
"Uuuuhhhh.... I wonder if everyone is alright. Artemis   
  
jumped out of the hole, blinking at the devastated surroundings.  
  
Luna followed him out as an increasingly large number of Usagis  
  
began to inspect the new world to which they had found themselves.  
  
Professor Tomoe climbed out of the hole and sat down, next to the  
  
cats. Luna stared up at him.  
  
"Thinking of Hotaru?" She whispered. Artemis caught the  
  
question, and followed her gaze. The Professor rubbed his eyes.  
  
"No time to think of her. Things look like they're in a  
  
pretty bad state. Could be survivors. Gotta do something... Gotta  
  
do..." He stood up and began to wander around.  
  
"Man, that's one seriously spaced out guy." They turned to  
  
Akunatsuka, who had chosen this point to emerge from the basement.  
  
He blinked as he took in his surroundings. "Whaddayaknow. They  
  
were right. It was the end of the world." The two cats sighed and  
  
wandered away from him.  
  
Akunatsuka clambered from the hole and stared at the burnt  
  
wreckage that had been the house Professor Tomoe had bundled them  
  
all through to get to the basement. Already, the Usagis were   
  
pulling items out of the basement, on the Professor's orders,   
  
setting up tents and marquees in the hardened soil, away from the  
  
rubble of the house... Creating a base camp for a potential   
  
survivors' centre. He sat down on one of the stones, tired and  
  
feeling sorry for himself. Oh well, at least it meant an end to the  
  
alimony payments to his ex.... If she was dead.  
  
Knowing how spiteful she was, she'd probably contrived to   
  
live. Well, that would certainly be par for the course as far as   
  
his luck was concerned.  
  
"Kaji...." Said the voice, whispered softly. He turned  
  
and saw someone he never thought he'd ever see again.  
  
Aoi stood, a short distance away, dressed in a simple dress  
  
and shawl. He shook his head.  
  
"Of all the people in the world..." He began to chuckle.  
  
"You never were the sentimental sort, were you?" Aoi smiled   
  
at him, stepping forward.  
  
"Nope."  
  
They both laughed, tiredly, then Aoi pulled out three glowing  
  
spheres from her shawl. Akunatsuka looked at them as she gazed into  
  
their depths, moving her lips as if talking to them.  
  
"What are they?"  
  
She looked up at him. "A very special, limited edition   
  
collectors' set. I'm just waiting for the fourth so they can be   
  
reunited." She smiled at him, then looked away, into the haze.  
  
----o  
  
The gateway to the transport dock was a somewhat muted affair,  
  
considering the size of the Keep. Galaxia nodded to the hooded   
  
figure which stood there... One of the Originals who guarded the   
  
Keep. Naru caught a glimpse of grey skin, then watched as the   
  
figure shuffled away. Memories of what she had seen herself as,   
  
back within the waters of the swimming pool, made her shudder.  
  
She felt an arm take hers, and turned to see Umino smiling at  
  
her. She smiled back, softly, as they made their way through the   
  
gate and onto the platform, followed by Sentinel and Naiad.  
  
Galaxia stopped at the doorway to the transport, looking back  
  
at them all, especially Naiad. The blue-haired woman smiled at her.  
  
"I guess it doesn't need to be said that it might be more   
  
difficult returning you to your homeworld than it was returning that  
  
Aoi woman. There is... nothing left for you to return to. No   
  
reason for you to go back...."  
  
Naru and Umino nodded, sadly.  
  
"I can offer you both new lives. New existences.... It is...   
  
as good a gift I can give to you."  
  
"Now that we have found them again, Galaxia?" Naiad looked at  
  
her. Galaxia shrugged.  
  
"What was past is past."  
  
Naiad shook her head. "Then... I shall take my leave of you  
  
all.... And return to the darkness."  
  
"Why?" Naru turned to Naiad. "Naiad-sama...."  
  
"Because there is someone out there who will have to be guided  
  
through her next life. An idiot who deosn't know how to leave well  
  
enough alone."  
  
"Then I shall follow you, Naiad-sama." Naru grabbed her by   
  
the arm, and beckoned to Umino. Naiad stared at them, sadly, as   
  
they held onto her arms.  
  
"You're willing to follow a fool into further madness?"  
  
"After what I've been through, and what I know... about us...  
  
I guess you can say I've always been a glutton for punishment."  
  
Naru smiled at Naiad, who nodded to her, then Umino.  
  
She turned to Galaxia. "Very well. Until the next time, my  
  
sister." Galaxia looked sullen, then turned away as the three faded  
  
into nothingness. Sentinel stepped alongside his mistress.  
  
"Are you alright, my Lady?"  
  
"It's fine, Sentinel... I've always been alone." She stepped   
  
into the transport.  
  
----o  
  
Hotaru opened her eyes, wondering where she was. It didn't  
  
seem to be anywhere, but it was quiet, and dark, and that was all   
  
she required after the stress of experiencing... Whatever it was  
  
she had experienced.  
  
"Get up, Hotaru-chan. Its time to leave." Hotaru raised her  
  
head, and stared into Usako's eyes.  
  
"Where are we?" She looked around. It seemed to be dark...  
  
Misty... Usako smiled.  
  
"The crossroads. Here we must decide what path we are to   
  
take. And it shall not be easy."  
  
Slowly, Usako helped Hotaru to her feet. She looked at  
  
herself, realising she was, once more, a 14 year old girl. Short,  
  
thin and weak. But somewhere within, she felt an inner strength,  
  
building steadily.  
  
"I feel good." Hotaru smiled. The lightness of her soft  
  
voice, compared to the heavier tones of what she had been, surprised  
  
her as much as her sudden degrowth.  
  
"The event... the fusion of both myself and myself... I mean  
  
Usako and the City... brings with it a kind of rebirth." Usako   
  
smiled. "Now I am whole again, Hotaru-chan."  
  
"But as whom?" Hotaru looked at her, noticing that Usako's  
  
form was fading. "Where is Usashin?"  
  
"She has already left, to find her path. Now we must follow   
  
ours." Usako faded even further, and Hotaru reached out to her.  
  
"Wait... Where are you going?"  
  
"Our paths divide here, Hotaru. But one day, we shall be   
  
together. And then... And then things will be very different."  
  
Hotaru tried to grab hold of Usako's arm, but her hand passed  
  
through. Usako disappeared, giving Hotaru one last smile.  
  
The girl stood alone for several moments, then turned to her  
  
right, where she saw a tunnel. Resolving herself, she stepped   
  
toward whatever future it may bring her.  
  
----o  
  
  
  
Usagi heard voices. She turned to see her senshi, beckoning  
  
to her in the darkness. They were all there... Well, most of them,  
  
anyway. They had stepped away from the card table, now bored with  
  
their game. It was time for them to move on. She looked at them  
  
all.  
  
Rei.  
  
Ami.  
  
Minako.  
  
Haruka and Michiru.  
  
Setsuna.  
  
The three Asteroid girls.  
  
Mamoru.  
  
Slowly, one by one, they vanished, their voices fading into  
  
ghostly echoes. She turned, and saw a portal, leading out onto an  
  
empty plain. She stepped through it....  
  
----o  
  
As the morning sun rose over the fortress, Professor Tomoe  
  
raised his head to the light that came streaming through the   
  
laboratory window. He blinked a couple of times, rubbing his eyes.  
  
He had fallen asleep whilst running through a couple of his   
  
experiments.  
  
"Professor..." He turned to the soft voice. He could see  
  
Usako, standing in the doorway, illuminated by the bright morning  
  
light.  
  
"Yes, Usako?"  
  
"It's Hotaru. I can see her, coming back."  
  
"What?" He got to his feet. "Where? Where is she?"  
  
In the background, he could hear the sound of approaching   
  
engines. He stood and peered out through the window. In the   
  
distance, he could see an object that looked like a flying clothes  
  
iron. His eyes boggled as he turned and ran for the door, past  
  
Usako, who amiled, knowingly.  
  
Tomoe raced outside, where several Usagis were already   
  
standing in wait. The craft, whatever it was, had reached the  
  
compound outside the fortress and had pulled up, turning into a  
  
landing position. Hot thermal blasts from its engines washed  
  
past the watching party and small pads emerged from its base.  
  
It planted itself softly on the ground, and Tomoe could get a  
  
grip on its scale.  
  
The craft was half the size of the fortress, itself. A  
  
veritable floating house. Its shape was tapered to the front,  
  
and it was mostly white. From the side, a hatch opened with a  
  
mechanical clunk, steps being pushed out and latched onto the  
  
side.  
  
"Now be careful as you go down the steps. They didn't make  
  
them tough enough for this model, and certainly not for the number  
  
of people who have to use them." Said Crow to those still inside   
  
the hatchway as she emerged. She turned to the welcoming party  
  
and waved to them as Usako and a couple of the remaining Usagis  
  
emerged from the fortress.  
  
"Hi. Special delivery for one Professor Tomoe Souichi." She  
  
smiled as she descended the stairs. He wandered out to her.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I'm the captain of this shipwreck. Ain't she a beauty?"  
  
Crow chuckled as the three Usagi clones descended the stairs.  
  
"Unagi?" Came a voice from one of the Usagis who were standing  
  
beside Usako. "You're alive?" Ushayla stepped forward. Unagi   
  
looked at her and puffed up her already ample chest. Crow, Maisagi,  
  
Sae and anyone else in the know inserted plugs into their ears.  
  
"Of course I'm alive. Did you think the great Unagi could be  
  
killed so easily, did you?" And with that, she began to laugh.   
  
Even Usako had to admit to feeling a bit frightened at the   
  
exclamation of mirth that emereged from the sorceress.  
  
Once the Usagis had begun to mix and chat with their own kind,  
  
Ceres and Jupiter emerged, pulling out their earplugs. The   
  
Professor had only barely dealt with Ceres before the Cataclysm, and   
  
therefore only JUST recognised her, but he easily spotted Jupiter.   
  
He stopped her as she reached the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Jupiter... You..." She looked at him, blankly. For a   
  
moment, he felt like she was going to kill him.  
  
"Ah, Professor..." She said without much emotion in her   
  
voice. "How very nice to see you."  
  
"Baka!" Ceres grabbed Jupiter by the arm. Jupiter looked   
  
like she had been slapped by the shorter girl, and smiled painfully  
  
at her.  
  
"Alright alright... I know...."  
  
The Professor watched as Ceres dragged Jupiter away. There   
  
was a familiarity between them... A very close familiarity. Crow  
  
smiled as he looked aside at her.  
  
"They used to hate each other, when we found them both. Don't  
  
know why. Something to do with a fight they had a few years ago."  
  
Usako chuckled, and looked aside. Standing alone, she could   
  
see two figures. Two Usagis.... Usashin and Kaorusagi, smiling at  
  
her. Usashin waved and Usako nodded. They both vanished as she  
  
turned back as the vessel's most important passengers emerged.  
  
Usako stepped up alongside the Professor and nudged him.   
  
"Professor...." He turned to her.  
  
"What?"  
  
She pointed to the top of the stairs.  
  
He looked at his daughter for a moment, the young girls   
  
holding on to her arms. And she looked back.  
  
An eternity passed between them.  
  
----o  
  
Usagi floated above the place where she had been murdered.   
  
The yard outside her school. There was still blood on the ground,  
  
drying for all eternity.  
  
This wasn't the place. It was all a figment of her overactive  
  
imagination. She wished the vision away, and the bare landscape  
  
returned.  
  
She felt filled with energies.... From somewhere, she didn't  
  
know. But the energies were creative. They wanted to build a new  
  
world. She had to expend those energies, somehow....  
  
Slowly, she closed her eyes and held out her hands to the sky.  
  
her body began to melt into the soil...  
  
Over a period of centuries, from that spot, formations of  
  
stone began to appear. Like buildings, taking shape. Like the  
  
buildings of Tokyo as Usagi once remembered it.  
  
And the city went on forever....  
  
An Eternal City.  
  
IASFU OA FWSS IASFU OA FWSS GOO JUA GOO JIPEST  
  
and again  
  
USAGI IS DEAD USAGI IS DEAD HIP HIP HIP HOORAY  
  
THE END  
  
"It's all in the mind, you know...."  
  
"Wallace Greenslade"  
  
The Goon Show circa 1950 - 1960  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Notes  
  
That is that. UID is mostly over, but hey, there is a lot to   
  
torment you with, yet, so UID II is on its way. ^_^  
  
Anyone wishing to flame me for the way this story ended, please do   
  
so with a semblance of intelligence. (Evil chuckle Mark III - with   
  
safety catch on).  
  
Otherwise, thanks to all those who have tolerated this little stream  
  
of my conciousness up to the end. ^_^ I appreciate all comments,   
  
as long as they are helpful. And I try to respond to all queries  
  
from those who wish to have portions of this story explained. ^_^  
  
DDFA - In a somewhat brighter mood now  
  
darkdayforanime@hotmail.com  
  
10th Mar 1998  
  
SIU - The Sailor Investigation Unit  
  
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=770955  
  
Yet another tale to screw with your mind, just as much as it did  
  
with mine. ^_^ 


End file.
